Bread and Circuses
by kurokidoki
Summary: Levi is the greatest soldier the ancient world has ever heard of since the Greek hero Achilles, while Eren is a lowly slave not even worth a bronze as. When their lives collide in the city of Rome, Eren and Levi must confront the psychopath, Emperor Nero, who enjoys sacrificing innocent humans in gladiatorial fights against creatures called titans. Ereri. Ancient Rome AU.
1. Chosen Amongst the Crowd

This story was pretty much the result of me using information in a history class at school I thought I had no use for. I originally wrote this for fun and wasn't going to publish it, but I thought you guys would probably like to see it. This is my first fanfiction and I had fun. Be forewarned, this story can get quite graphic, sort of like in the show. Please forgive any typos I may have missed. Enjoy and see notes at the bottom.

* * *

_..._

_The brave hero will show_

_His tale on mosaic and bath_

_To take back our beloved home_

_And relinquish the people from wrath_

_..._

AD 54

Agrippina stared at her servant, leaning so acutely as if she could tip out of her chair any second.

"Please tell me once more," she said as a smile stretched across her face, devoid of any sense of warmth, her sharp blue eyes were like the hottest part of a flame.

The servant bowed low to the floor. "He is dead, Empress. I have administered the poison just like you asked."

Agrippina slowly leaned back in her chair, the same sinful grin etched on her face as she stared out at the night sky from the window. The light reflected upon her, revealing dark shadows under her eyes, and the weariness of her older age. She began to laugh as if hearing the news of a dead man was a casual joke. "Claudius, that fool, my uncle was never that bright. Now I can stop this charade of our marriage."

From the hallway, frantic footsteps could be heard approaching the dark room and another servant appeared at the doorway breathing heavily. A look of sheer horror was laden upon on his face.

"Your highness! The emperor! He- he is dead!" he cried.

Not missing a beat, Agrippina's face immediately changed to one of disbelief.

"No! Please, take me to him, I must see for myself!" Agrippina sobbed as her eyes brimmed with tears.

"This way, your highness!" the servant yelled, immediately running back down the hall from which he came. Agrippina bolted from her seat to follow him out of the room, though she paused at the doorway, where the warm light illuminated her frame, and stared at the woman still kneeling on the floor.

"Thank you, Locusta. You shall be greatly rewarded," she said with a wicked grin. With the swish of her long robes she left the dark room. From down the hall she heard the pleas of a young girl.

"Father! Oh Gods, what have you done? Father, please!" a young girl lamented over the lifeless body of a thin man. His face remained as it was when he died, contorted in pain and now fading of color. A boy about a year younger walked over to comfort her.

"Please, Octavia, the people are watching," he said shifting his eyes around the room and looking very uncomfortable with the whole situation.

"You misunderstand, Britannicus! The Gods have forsaken us!" she sobbed in disbelief. Nothing her brother could say would stop the tears. She clenched the fabric of her father lying on the floor. "This was no normal occurrence."

She hastily pointed at the goblet lying next to their father's open hand where red wine could be seen splattering parts of his robes and the marble floors. It looked eerie, like blood seemingly drained from the emperor's torso had pooled on the floor all around him.

"THERE IS A TRAITOR AMONG US! A TRAITOR-"

"Calm yourself, Octavia!" Agrippina shouted, entering flanked by soldiers in the crowded room of spectators. Octavia immediately stood up as if the floor was scorching hot underneath her, and glared at Agrippina with hatred that should have crippled the woman. Agrippina slumped to the ground next to Claudius' body and hunched over him as she grabbed handfuls of his robes, her smile hidden beneath her waves of hair. She composed herself and lifted her head, her eyes shut and listening to the silence of room. Britannicus slid behind his sister, afraid maybe Agrippina would suddenly gaze upon him with the cold look of Medusa, freezing him where he stood.

"Where is my son?" Agrippina finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I am here, Mother," said a voice belonging to a tall and lean young man from the back of the room. His robes royal blue, lined with gold like the curls upon his head, and his eyes the cold blue like his mother's glaring back at the wave of heads turned his way. He strode to the front of the room where Agrippina stood to touch his face as tenderly as if she were handling her most precious treasure. "You do know what this means, my son."

He stared back her stoically and nodded before turning his head to the siblings. Octavia stood her ground, glowering at her husband, refusing to show any sliver of fear, though her heart pumped hard enough to engrave an imprint on her breast. One of the people in the crowd objected as if he had finally woken from the surreal scene, "Impossible! Britannicus is meant to be the heir to the throne! This is treason!"

The crowd began to mumble and the guards menacingly pushed in on the crowd, rendering them silent.

"Our dear Emperor Claudius…" she leaned down to gently lift the golden olive crown from the emperor's dead body as Octavia's eyes widened in shock and Britannicus began to tremble. She placed the piece upon the young man's head. "…has named my son, Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, heir to the throne of the emperor of Rome."

Agrippina stood triumphantly and glowered at the crowd as if daring anyone to challenge what she had stated. Her guards pushed further on the crowd. Some of the senators shuffled uncomfortably as the room stayed deathly silent, aware to the punishments that befell men who defied the emperors. They stiffly stared back at Nero until one person bowed, then a wave of people began leaning forward, bowing to their new ruler. Britannicus lowered his head to focus on his sandals while Octavia begrudgingly bowed, though it looked as if it pained every muscle in her body to do so and Agrippina smiled.

"Now men, tell the people of Rome, we shall rejoice the new and mourn the old in the streets tonight."

...

AD 68

The carriage jostled to a stop and Eren immediately woke as his head thumped the back of the person he was crushed next to. It was crowded and he could barely feel his legs as they were numb from being pushed up against his body for hours. The chains that bound his wrists and ankles clanked loudly while everyone in the carriage tried to stretch as much as the restraints and limited space would allow.

Eren could taste his reeking breath as he tried to breathe through his mouth, avoiding the stench of all the bodies in close proximity. He could feel raw sweat and dirt caked on his skin from not bathing in days. His hair lost its shine, dusted with flakes of crusted gravel and who knows what else. He glanced up towards the sun and squinted as the scorching heat hit his face. If it wasn't for the dirt built up on his skin, he probably would have been sun burnt a long time ago.

The carriage continued to roll until they were inside huge walls and the streets were bustling with people. Eren was not easily orientated back to reality when he took naps, but this was different; there were more people than Eren had ever seen in his life in one location. There had to be thousands of them. He could see vendors selling everything from expensive robes to small toys for children. Eren stared in awe at how lively everything was, his eyes roaming in every direction of the city, not knowing where to rest his eyes.

There was a blonde girl staring at him intently from behind a taller man, carrying what looked like clothes. She appeared ethereal, like a vision, and he swore he was hallucinating. When Eren's eyes met hers, a shock so intense raked through his body and up his spine like a blade was suddenly taken to his nerve endings. He shouted and clutched his head, startling the others in the cart, though when he lifted his head, the pain was gone along with the girl.

Once the carriage was inspected by soldiers in armor Eren had only heard of in stories, the carriage jolted again and they were led down a ramp behind other chariots.

"Get out you peasants! Hurry up, move!" A man about two feet taller than Eren with a white beard and hair shouted at the slaves leaving the cart. He looked disgruntled at how slow some of them were moving, and pushed a small child in front of Eren. The child lost their balance and fell down the ramp face first, almost bringing the whole line of slaves down with them. Eren growled and tried to jump at the older man, but his chains restrained him.

"Oy!" he yelled his teeth grinding so hard together he probably could have crushed them.

"What are you going to do? You are nothing but a dog," the slave master spat at Eren. He smiled, as if trying to further provoke him, then turned to a soldier approaching him from the crowd.

"How much are you charging this time for these slum dogs, Zacklay?" the soldier asked staring bemusedly at the slaves still coming out of the carriage.

Zacklay scoffed, "Not much, this batch is just as useless as the others. I will give you five hundred sestertii for each of the slaves and I will let you have that rough looking runt over there for an as. He looks like he will not last long anyways." Zacklay glared at Eren as he received his money from the soldier.

Eren didn't like people very much and this man was not helping him like them any better. The days where Eren sat in the forests on blissful afternoons in Germania seemed so far away, as if they were a distant memory, not even real to begin with. All he could remember was that he was enjoying a peaceful day with his mom while she reprimanded him to do his daily chores of picking wood for the fire. After being outside in the backyard for half an hour, he had heard a loud crash and his mother's heart dropping scream.

As soon as he had stepped in the house, all he had seen was blood on his mother with a knife in hand, sprawled on the ground in a heap of blood. Thugs from the different valleys were in his house and Eren had immediately recognized them as human traffickers, ones he thought would never appear in the dense bogs of their territory. The thugs hadn't wanted the older woman, because they wouldn't fetch as decent of a price, so they merely killed his mom like she was a worthless animal.

Without hesitation, or maybe just his pure instinct, Eren had picked up the blade and stabbed the first one he could get his hands on. He cried, and all he saw was red, red, red; it was satisfying. The men had begun to punch Eren to the ground and he already knew he would have bruises and scars if the next morning would come. He dealt with bullies around his village, but these men were stronger than the kids from down the stream, and he was easily taken down.

At eighteen years of age, Eren could still barely master his fighting skills. Next thing Eren knew he was shackled in a moving carriage that resembled a cage: the humans inside it nothing but mere livestock to the others standing by on the outside. There was no time for hot tears of frustration; Eren was focusing on a way to escape and get back to his home.

"What is this?" Eren asked mainly to himself.

Outside of the carriage Eren had immediately stopped to stare at the structure before him and his jaw dropped in awe. It seemed to be a humongous stadium, which was big enough for the shadow that fell from it to engulf Eren and the other slaves. He was unsure of how anyone could have built something so overwhelmingly complicated and large. There were numerous archways and at least three different floors, where inside they seemed to be bustling with waves of people. The architecture was intricate, especially under every arch and column; who knew what other mysteries lurked inside.

"Be good performers," Zacklay grunted, shaking his moneybag in a greedy manner. "You lot should be honored you get to die here in Rome. Most gladiators do not even get the chance to see the damn stadium."

Eren continued to stare in amazement until the young soldier who paid Zacklay stepped to the front of the crowd. With a patch of brown hair on top of his head and a face like a horse (well, at least in Eren's opinion) he grinned mischievously at the slaves.

"Make haste, trash! Line up, we are heading into the stadium!" he yelled waving his arms to move them forward. Eren could tell this man obviously enjoyed his job and it pissed him off immensely. The soldier tugged at the chains binding the captives together and began herding them to the huge structure. "I am Jean Kirschtein, the greatest warrior in Rome. Not that any of you dogs need to know, you will probably be dead soon. I am also good with the ladies around here, so if any of you actually survive and want to have some fun, stick with me." The soldier was smug and barely looked to be a year older than Eren himself. Either way, Eren definitely didn't like him. He scoffed under his breath and this did not go unnoticed by Jean.

"What? Do you have something to say?" Jean growled.

"You are a pompous mule—"

"To hell with you. I bet you twenty sestertii you cannot last in the arena ten minutes!"

"Oh really?"

Jean's stature loomed over him menacingly as he lifted Eren by his rags, and Eren head-butted him with a growl. The soldier was going to retaliate, but the man was interrupted by a booming voice from the stadium.

"You will see the horrors you have walked into," Jean growled.

Regaining his composure, and pretending no one saw what just happened, the boy cleared his throat. Eren grimaced and felt the chains being tugged again as they left to follow the citizens going into the stadium. They soon parted with the crowd, and were led through a narrow tunnel. Some people looked at them in disgust and upturned their noses like they smelled putrid (which they probably did) as they passed. Others shook their heads in pity and Eren's blood boiled as the people looked on doing nothing.

Once inside, it was dim and they were left in a tight room. Huddled, dirty, and with dust falling from the ceiling. Rumbles could be heard and felt above the chamber, and Eren listened intently as the shouts of what seemed like a myriad of citizens in the distance. His attention then turned to Jean, who smirked at a man walking toward them.

"Ah, Rome's star," his voice monotone. Eren looked over to the guy striding their way. His jaw dropped at how short the man was, definitely below Eren's stature, and laughable compared to the large horse the man had by his side. The man's posture and haircut was clean, showing the way he carried himself was important and organized. Eren would've have laughed if the expression on the short man's face partnered with his panoply didn't look like it could lay them all flat in less than a second. His facial features were sharp and the powerful glare he made seemed to be etched onto his face.

He immediately turned to Eren's gaping expression and looked him up and down as if he were simply a dirty mutt no one wanted. "What the hell are you staring at? Shut your mouth before a beetle flies in," he spat. Eren immediately snapped his mouth shut, eyes wide as he stared at the short man, not prepared to say anything. People in Rome proved to be quite bold and rude already, but this man seemed to be on a different level, and Eren was still caught completely off guard. Some of the slaves cringed at the aura he exhibited around him.

"Do not scare them too much, Levi, they are dim," Jean laughed placing a hand on Levi's shoulder, showing him off as if he was some sort of prize. He then pointed at Eren. "Especially that fool. My bet is that he will die first."

"Be quiet, Jean, you are not far off from them either," the smaller man snapped as he shook Jean's hand off his shoulder. Eren laughed and earned another glare which shut him up immediately. This man didn't appear fond of anyone.

It hadn't even been fifteen minutes since he arrived in Rome and Eren already made three enemies, not a very good start, but he didn't particularly care; he was going to get out of there. Eren became distracted when what sounded like an announcement rang out from the area above him. The crowd cheered and Levi glanced upwards, leading his horse out into a long tunnel with light at the end of it. Eren could see rose petals falling around him.

"Time to get you all fitted into armor," Jean said. He glanced at the group who looked halfheartedly at him because most of them didn't even stand a chance of fighting. They hadn't eaten in days and their muscles were still cramped from being in shackles. "Eh… never mind, just retrieve weapons."

As they looked at the armor, ranging from full body suits to random coverings, they listened to the roars of the crowded from above. The ground rumbled and shook as dust fell from the ceiling. The man, Levi, was fighting above and creating a show while Eren glowered at the weapons before him.

"These people are monsters," Eren said gritting his teeth. All they wanted was a good show and Eren was determined to give them a good one alright. He chose his weapon and lined up next to all the other slaves, and there was a great contrast of them. One of the small children, who didn't even waste time getting a weapon, trembled and cried next to an elderly adult who also looked as if he could barely hold a knife.

The doors opened up and Levi's silhouette came striding from the tunnel, followed by the deafening noise of the crowd. Parts of him were splotched with blood, dirt, and sweat. He didn't even glance at the slaves as he walked past, but Eren could still feel the glare fixed on Levi's face.

"Great job as usual," Jean said to the scowling man and then turned to them without a second thought, "Alright off you go, die in the name of Rome."

Jean pushed the slaves up through the light of the tunnel. Eren grunted as the light hit his face and his heart began to pound harder. The noise of the crowd was deafening and he gasped at the sight. The crowd waved and jeered and there had to be thousands of people in the stadium. The colors of the people were bright, some the size of dots sitting in rows, waving pieces of cloth. Eren would've been amazed if he didn't think he was about to die.

Closest to the arena in the lower part of the stadium, the walls held an imperial box with two men. One of them was holding onto youth with light curls and a golden olive crown. He donned a purple tunic that glistened in the sunlight as he gestured to the man next to him. The other had a bald head as shiny as tableware and warm eyes, appearing to be much nicer in presence than the ostentatious one next to him. The blond haired man held up his hand and the crowd's volume slowly diminished.

The man had a pretentious atmosphere as he yelled, "As you know, I have given the people of Rome marvelous shows in the past, and fear not, we shall see another one this evening. A great sacrifice to the beasts outside of our walls, the only thing that keeps them from killing us good people. We have found many of these slaves to feed their hunger and ours for entertainment. But as fair, if any of them prove they are worthy against the power of the titans, they may live to be a part of my elite soldiers, who protect our walls. Though from the looks of this batch…" he looked down in the arena, displeased. "… this may appear to be another offering. Even if our guest, Commander Pixis, of the army in Crete says otherwise." His smug expression towards the slaves made Eren sick and he could feel the slaves pack together on his backside as he readied his shield and lance. The crowd bellowed as they knew the spectacle was about to begin and they were thirsty for blood.

"RELEASE THE TITANS!" Eren heard the smug man bellow.

Immediately from the fifty foot walls there opened large doors that showed giant human-like creatures. There was something off about them besides their hideous expressions that made them look abnormal, but made Eren's heart almost stop and blood run cold. They ran at odd angles as they roared to scoop up some in the group and the slaves screams blended with the cheering of the crowd. Eren rolled out of the way of a titan about seven meters tall, his heart pumping in his ears; everything seemed silent, and he felt as if he were running through mud.

Then Eren saw a giant paw of orange and black stripes reach out to tear across his face. He dodged it at the last minute and gasped in shock to see it was a large tiger, mostly hungry for meat, and released by the man who seemed to be in charge. Eren's right arm had a deep gashed that was losing blood at an alarming rate and he immediately began to feel dizzy. Not only was the sun blazing its rays on his skin, but the audience's cheers disorientated him. He glared up at the sky as his vision began to fade.

This was it.

This is was how he was going to die. Bleeding profusely for the entertainment of Rome.

Everything went black and the last thing Eren saw were titans reaching out for his limp body on the ground.

Then there was a white light and three women appeared in front of him wearing long gowns and tiaras that fell to the endless floor.

"Hello, Eren," one said. Eren immediately sat up and looked at his right arm: it was there and clearly intact. He didn't understand. He didn't feel like he was panicking as he had in the arena and he didn't feel close to embracing his death; he couldn't feel anything really. He was merely floating in what appeared to be an incandescent space. There could be only one explanation.

"Am I dead?" Eren blurted in a daze. He couldn't tell which way was up or down and just decided to continue to float and hopefully nothing would go awry. Then Eren's eyes widened as if he had a sudden realization. "Are you angels?"

The women didn't answer back as if pondering his question first, until one of them came forward. "My name is Sina, we are spirits of these protective walls coming to warn you, Eren. There is not much time. Maria, explain-"

"What?" Eren asked.

There was another voice from a different lady. "Our vessel has found you, Eren. Our sister, Rose, has predicted of this day for centuries and now it has come. You were chosen to protect us."

The last woman who hadn't spoken yet must have been Rose. She wrapped her arms around Eren.

"We bestow upon you this power to heal and fight. You must be the one to kill our emperor, or we risk peril."

Eren floated, dumbfounded, in midair when the women swarmed him with a ball of luminous air, glowing like the hot sun. He gasped as the bright light spread along his arms and legs in one smooth motion, and panicked as it burned hot in his veins. His chest felt like it was going to burst any second.

"Good luck, Eren, and may we meet again," they said with a hint of hope.

"No! I have to leave this place, I just want to go home!" Eren screamed.

Suddenly, Eren lost sight of them as yellow light engulfed his head. Everything swam from white to black as quickly as before.

He could feel his heartbeat again, blood pumping vigorously, his vision blurry, his state of mind filled violent with thoughts to kill- to kill the titans. Eren let out a furious roar he didn't recognize as his voice. He could see nothing but steam at first sizzling off his skin, and when the smoke cleared he saw the same titans he did before he lost consciousness. Looking at their goofy grins made him want to destroy them.

His claws met their abdomens as they closed in around him, ripping anything he touched to pieces. Some of them even tried to tear into his limbs with their teeth as they bellowed in agony. Eren hadn't the faintest idea of what was happening. His thoughts continued to jumble in anger and his emotions were a burning hot rage. He saw red again. The crowd continued to roar with excitement and he couldn't distinguish which cries came from titans or humans. It didn't matter, Eren just wanted to survive, he wanted to kill.

He punched and kicked the titans incessantly, sometimes hitting the stone walls as he used too much force to knock their heads in, losing a hand that became replaced with steam. Eren could feel his face twist into a smile, but he didn't feel happy. His chest was heavy and he desired to kill even more titans.

The exhaustion hit Eren like a tackle and he fell to the ground with a crash that shook the stadium, only to lay along the corpses of the wasted slaves, titans, and tigers. He was the only one left alive, he realized with detached horror. The fresh air hit his back like cold ice and consumed the heat of smoke coming from his skin. The sensation felt bizarre and he couldn't tell if he was dreaming.

The stadium was eerily silent as he stared up at the high walls in a stupor. The man sitting under the shaded area of the imperial box gawked at Eren, unable to formulate any words. The crowd burst into applause and cheers that rumbled the ground, and Eren could feel the bass of the hollering in his chest. They began to chant, "TITAN BOY! TITAN BOY!"

Commander Pixis whispered something in the younger man's ear and the latter's mouth fashioned into a cat like grin. Eren watched as he slowly raised his thumb in front of him while the audience continued their mantra. His hand suddenly twisted into an upward position and the stadium could have collapsed from the sheer amount of shouting the crowd blasted.

Eren tried to stumble to his feet and grabbed onto the walls for support when his head began to spin. "What is happening?"

He didn't understand, his arm had somehow healed as if it had been there all along and there were bodies of titans, tigers, and slaves littered on the ground like there had just been an explosion. The sky began to rain red petals and they blended in with the blood that splayed on the dirt.

"Did I… did I do this?" Eren asked in disbelief, feeling nauseous. Before he could even come to a conclusion, two soldiers led him off towards opposite doors from where he had entered.

He was taken out of the stadium through narrow passageways after they relieved him of his blood stained amour. The underground murmured the sounds from above and he was shoved into the back of a carriage. He rubbed his sore arm muscles and was shocked to see the same man from the imperial box sitting right across from him.

"Pleasure to finally meet you, young man," he said with a smile on his face that displayed anything but warmth. "I am Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, Emperor of Rome. We must speak."

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**Chapter 1 Notes:**

I would like to thank RabidShinji and Snow Whites Poison Kiss for being awesome beta readers! Go check out their stories, too, they're both really sweet (and talented writers).

In AD 53, Nero and Octavia (step-siblings) married.

In AD 54, Nero became the emperor of Rome at the age of seventeen because of his crazy mother, Agrippina, who married her uncle. Her uncle was the previous emperor, Claudius, and she persuaded him to name her son the next emperor, instead of Cladius' true son, Britannicus. Agrippina also had Claudius poisoned by using the stealthy woman, Locusta.

Sestertius – bronze coin worth two and half asses.

As – smallest amount of coin in Rome, probably like a penny.

Lastly, we're just not going to deal with the language barrier in this story. Everything is already too complex as it is.


	2. The Golden House

I hope you will enjoy this chapter. It gets into the life that Eren will lead while we trek through and you will most likely be able to catch its darker themes. Also, reviews are very, _very _much appreciated. I would like to know what you guys think of the story!

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...

AD 57

The man stood at the edge of the gates in shackles as he let a deep growl escape his throat. He turned furiously to Emperor Nero, who had captured his men from Narbonne. He could not believe a little shrimp who looked as if he barely started his twenties had bested him.

"You are very brave for sacrificing yourself for your friends," Nero said with a wide grin, admiringly staring at him. The man glared fiercely as the emperor tried to stroke his face. Nero moved his hand away. "Please, tell me your name."

"You agreed to free my friends, if I battled these titans. That is all I am here for," the other spat. He jerked away from Nero. Petra, Gunther, Oluo, and Eld. Sure they were bandits, but they didn't deserve to be tortured because of a careless mistake he made that got them captured. He was their squad leader and he would do anything to make sure that his soldiers were safe from harm, especially from the pig in front of him.

The smile fell from Nero's face as he glared back at the captive. "I only promise those freedom that give my people a show. Do not just tell me you are a performer, let me see it, myself." He released the man from his shackles and as the gates opened he kicked him through, letting him fall in the dust. When the man regained composure, he stared up to the canopy area where Emperor Nero made his way to his seat next to a smaller young woman who looked worn and soulless. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second when he saw his squad members shackled together at the emperor's feet with one of the best seats in the arena to watch.

Immediately, he could hear the laughs of thousands in the audience. The clang of a sword could be heard as it fell beside him, shining intensely in the light.

"RELEASE THE TITANS," Nero blasted with joy. He was ecstatic as the creatures came running out and the man picked up his sword in a hurry. Only armed with a blade against titans well above his height, the emperor expected the fight to be brutal and entertaining.

This didn't deter the man in the arena as he took his sword and swiftly cut the ankles of a few of the monsters rushing towards him. He bounced off the arena's walls and sliced the creatures' arms, then taking their sight when he could with flawless skill. There were only a few occasions where a titan came close to mauling his leg but he quickly and swiftly twisted his body to avoid them. One by one the titans that were released from the walls were taken down furiously and rapidly. Their bodies pooled below the man until there was none left to fight. He stood roughly upon their carcasses and glared at the surprised emperor, who clearly hadn't expect him to survive.

The crowd boomed with cheers and red petals began to fall from the sky all around him in their appreciation.

"My name is Levi," he stated while flicking his blade free of blood. He never took his searing glance away from Nero's eyes. He suddenly flung his sword at the imperial box and the people screamed. Nero dodged it with a wicked smile, though it did impale a senator, and the crowd began to chant Levi's name at his surprise attack. Levi may have been the greatest fighter Nero had ever encountered. He wanted him on his side.

"Take him to the general," Nero said with a glare. "That should fix his attitude."

Levi was forcefully led out of the central arena and into a side passage. He immediately tried to escape to go find the rest of his squadron, but a blond man in armor with thick eyebrows slid behind him and had a blade pressed to his neck.

"Do not move. I need your help."

...

AD 68

Nero's half-lidded eyes and smile bore into Eren, and he couldn't tell if he was shaking or if that was the effect of riding in an unsteady carriage.

"Do not be shy, young boy, I just merely want to speak with you," he laughed. Nero entwined his fingers together. "I am quite intrigued by your abilities. You gave my people a very entertaining show out there."

The emperor of the city was speaking to him in the back of a carriage going God knows where. He glanced around him, dumbfounded by the ornate designs and the violet ornate robes the man donned. Everything about this man screamed wealth and the desire to be shown off to the public. Next to man, there was a stern boy with strong features and blond hair who looked as if he could snap Eren like he was small twig. Nero ignored the boy's stupid gaze.

"Please, tell me how you did it," Nero's eye narrowed sharply and Eren gulped.

"Er," was all he could muster. He couldn't just tell him spirits suddenly gave him powers. It would sound like a joke; like he wasn't taking the emperor seriously. What could he say? What could he do? Eren's heart began to pound faster as he felt like he was being pushed into a corner. Emperor Nero grew impatient.

"Reiner," he said. The blond immediately drew a small blade from his belt and pointed it at Eren. Eren jumped instinctively and stared at the knife angrily. "My little brother, Britannicus, had an unfortunate end. Do you wish to end up like him, too?"

"Oy! I d-do not know," he finally managed to stammer out. His heart beat even faster and Nero laughed as if the whole situation was comical.

"I was merely jesting, young man," Nero laughed. He pat stern Reiner on the knee and he put the blade away. "What is your name, titan boy?"

"Eren," Eren said, his tone cautious. "Eren Jaeger."

"Well, Eren, I am sure you will love it here," Nero stated with eyebrows raised slightly. "I did previously say those that defeat titans in my arena would be promoted to soldiers. Of course you defeated the titans so you know what this means…"

"… I am a soldier?" Eren questioned. Reiner scoffed at Eren's slowness and Eren shot a look of anger at him. He didn't care how scared he was at the present moment, but he really didn't appreciate being mocked by anyone.

Nero's carriage came to a halt in front of a large building surrounded by vast lands of grass and neatly cut shrubs. They had come up the trodden path from a breathtaking xyst. "Welcome to the Golden House." Nero said as he swept his hand out in front of him when the carriage doors swung open. Eren and Nero stepped out to observe the beauty that was the palace. Flowers laid along marble stairs that led up to the building, and guards lined the front where the sun's light hit the palace in a way that made it scintillate.

Eren thought the structure was brilliant and like nothing he had ever seen before, but he didn't feel comfortable staying with a man who, not just hours ago, had captured him from his home. Nor did he trust the man who sacrificed innocent people for entertainment. Nero seemed utterly unstable and Eren knew it would be wrong to cross him already, seeing as the man owned the entire city. He usually acted without thinking, but Eren felt if he could use his brain right for once, he would be able to accomplish something.

"Are you sure I cannot stay in another household?" Eren asked, treading carefully. He turned to Nero who looked sunken. "It would feel like I am barging in on a king and his palace."

"Oh, Eren, all of my good men stay at the Golden House," he said, pretending to be hurt. "If you are afraid I cannot take care of you, do not be, we have all the money the gods have given us!" He slapped a hand on Eren's shoulder playfully, though it caused him to wince. He leaned in close to Eren's ear and whispered, "Do you wish to part from me already? It makes me very… suspicious."

Eren stammered for an answer. "I-I was just—"

Suddenly, Nero was doubled over and grabbing his waist, laughing as if Eren had just told him the funniest joke in the world. "I was just jesting! Jesting! You are quite a tense boy!" Eren stared at the man, not sure of what he would do next. Chills raced down his spine, and the situation made his stomach roll with fear. He was almost relieved when a Roman soldier from another freight arrived and saluted the emperor, drawing his attention away.

"Sir, the soldiers have captured more of the Christians," the guard whispered. When Nero composed himself, his face positively lit up and Eren stared with a mixture of worry and confusion. Nero clapped his hands together excitedly.

"Great, bring them out back later tonight, and we will burn them under the stars!" he cheered. He lifted a hand to his chin as if he was thinking deeply. "How convenient, I needed some light to write my song to." With the turn of his heel he was on his way out the door and down the palace stairs. Then he fumbled back to Eren, and spoke, "My lovely Krista will lead you to your room and the baths. You do need to clean up, Eren. I will return soon. I must prepare for a performance tonight!" Nero headed back to the carriage and Eren could see him whispering something to Reiner as the door closed.

Eren had discovered that fear could make you forget how filthy your body was. He smelled repugnant and did need a bath; he couldn't even remember the last time he had had one. The girl, Krista, approached him and Eren was shocked to see the same blonde that had met his eyes in the slave cart earlier that day.

"You—" Eren began, but she mumbled something and turned around to lead him through the forefront of the palace.

As Eren entered, he sucked in a breath of surprise coming into the atrium. He couldn't believe how luxurious everything looked. The walls were laced with gold and it was quite busy as servants and slaves walked around carrying plates of food to opposite ends of the hallways. He tried to keep from getting distracted as he gazed upon the magnificent frescos painted across the walls. Some showed heroes, others displayed beautiful gardens, and all of them had vibrant colors. There was even a giant golden statue of the emperor himself, though Eren felt it interrupted the beauty of the art.

"Wow, who painted those?" Eren asked in wonder, hopefully trying to ease the awkward silence between him and the girl. They had apparently reached his room located at the very end of a hall. Krista placed her hand on the wooden door though she seemed absent as she turned to him.

"Please, help us," she quietly begged. She glanced around Eren as he stared, wide eyed and startled. "I cannot say much here now, but you are who the people need. Excuse me, sir." She motioned to the door and hurriedly bowed, hastily running down the hall.

"Wait!" Eren tried to call Krista to him but she disappeared around the corner in a matter of seconds. He was scared that's for sure. Scared of the many things that lay before him and scared because he didn't have a clue about what was going on. When he pushed open the door to the lavish room, where there stood a bed and a single window that allowed the bright sunlight to stream through and onto the mosaic floor. He flopped on the comfortable mattress wishing he could rest, but Eren felt like doing anything but that.

Unfortunately for him, the excitement of his day and journey to Rome engulfed him, rocking his exhausted body to sleep.

Eren didn't know what he had gotten himself into. What was the madness of Rome?

...

_The city of Rome was on fire and Eren was hot. Sweat dripped into his eyes and down his neck. He saw Krista with glowing eyes and she slowly raised her hand to point behind him._

_Eren cautiously turned around to see a soldier swipe down with a blade on his chest-_

"Please, sir, wake up. The master will be angry if he sees you in this condition."

Eren woke to the soft voice and a slight shake of his shoulders.

The room was dim, illuminated by a few candles set on small tables around the room, and the moonlight shimmering in through the window. It was hard to see the owner of the voice, but he was sure it belonged to Krista. Eren felt a sense of relief; her eyes didn't glow when she handed him a cloth and bowed her head.

"I will wait outside the door to lead you to the bath," Krista said, a blush creeping across her face before she dashed from the room.

Eren undressed and put the soft cloth around his waist. When he exited the room, Krista immediately led him down the corridors in long stretches and turns that were dimly lit with candles. Eren thought the building was humongous as they passed the peristyle courtyard hosting an artificial lake and a calm breeze blowing in from outside. They finally reach their destination of the bath and Krista stood outside the door. Eren wanted to speak to her about what she said earlier.

"What you mentioned before-"

"You must not be seen speaking with me on such matters," she said as she stared around frantically to see if anyone heard. "Not right now."

"But-"

Eren tried to speak once more but Krista stared blankly ahead and ignored him. He didn't want to give up but it seemed like he was getting nowhere with the conversation he was having now. He pushed open the door and walked into a steamy bath. There were a few servants lined out by the pillars on the outside of the room. Just like many other parts of the Golden House, there was no exception to excess extravagance for the room. There were also intricate frescoes on the walls and mosaics on the floor.

Eren felt slightly self-conscious, having to take his towel off and step in the warm water in front of the servants. The bath in the center had pillars at each end and it was big enough for about twenty people. There were red rose petals scattered about on top of the water. The entire room was warm and relaxing as Eren sunk his aching body into the pool of water. It was even complete with… hair?

There seemed to be someone in the water already. There was a head of black hair submerged under water, attached to a body that was still, sunk like a boulder. Eren panicked when he realized he was witnessing someone drowning in the water. He hadn't even noticed the person's head poke up from the surface since he entered the room. The servants weren't doing anything, maybe because they couldn't see, so it was probably nothing serious, but Eren wanted to make sure. He pulled the guy up abruptly and water splashed everywhere.

"Are you alri-" Eren tried to ask the person but before could finish his sentence, a pair of hands were tightly grasped around his neck. He clung at the other's arms and immediately froze when he looked into their eyes.

It was the short man from earlier that day in the arena. From the strength of just the fingers around his neck, he could fully understand why this man was quite a feared soldier. The room around him was becoming black and Eren could barely breathe with his windpipe constricted, and the steam in the bathroom clogging his nose. Right before he was sure he was going to pass out the man let go of his neck and went back to his brooding stature. Eren coughed vigorously, trying to catch his breath.

"What is wrong with you?" Eren asked hysterically.

"You startled me," the man answered, as if it were that simple.

"I thought you were drowning!"

The man scoffed at him. "If I was drowning or dead, my whole body would be _floating_ on top of the water. I was clearly submerged, imbecile. You interrupted my training."

As if the man didn't even care he was there, he swam to the opposite end of the bath. Eren was not going to let him go so easily. He followed to the other man angrily.

"Oy, shortie!" Immediately, the smaller body connected with his and he was dunked under water without further warning. He scrambled to the surface of the bath and heard giggles from the servants around the room.

"My name is Levi," the man stated while grasping Eren painfully by the hair. Levi snapped his fingers at the servants and they began to file out of the room. "But you will address me as 'Corporal'."

Eren yanked his head away from Levi's grip. "You sure are arrogant."

"Do not expect embraces and kisses from anyone here in Rome, kid."

"What is wrong with everyone here?" Eren hissed. He felt slightly more secure speaking his mind now that the other servants were gone from the room. "Your emperor is mad and they are sacrificing innocent people, and no one is doing anything about it!"

Levi closed in dangerously on Eren. "You have no idea what we are doing here. You just arrived and are nothing merely more than an observer. My soldiers have better guts than you, whining and crying like a child. Now, I do not know what the hell happened to you in the arena today, but Nero is going to kill you the first chance he can get."

"Listen you, I do not know what happened either!"

Obviously they were causing quite a commotion as Krista pattered into the room. Eren immediately stopped speaking and looked up to Krista, expecting her to say something. She did her normal frantic all around checking look and rushed over to Levi.

"Levi, I am sure this boy is the one from the prophecy."

Levi and Eren stopped their fighting to stare at each other.

"This idiot?"

"Me?"

They asked simultaneously. Krista nodded her head desperately and Levi laughed sardonically. He clearly thought Eren was incapable of defeating anything other than a rabid horsefly.

"You must have the wrong person…" Eren said.

"No. Ymir, the artist, painted the mural here in this building after I told her what the prophecy told to me. I think you look just like him. The wall's spirits have told me about the prophecy boy and how he will save us all."

"There you are with your weird talk again. Well, he seems to be doing a very good job at saving everyone. Look at him, he is captured and has become one of us, trapped in the palace. Damned good job." He pat Eren on the shoulder enough to push him under water again. The corporal left the pool and draped a towel around himself as Krista covered her eyes.

"You watch out, kid. Rome has dangers around every corner," he mocked as he left towards the door.

"My name is Eren!" he shouted but Levi simply waved him off, exiting the room and mumbling something about wanting a private bath to avoid filth. Eren sighed and sunk into the water. "He is going to be another problem."

Krista coughed to get Eren's attention. "You must forgive Levi. He is always like this but I am sure he means well." Eren sank in the water not believing a word she said.

"We must prepare for the ceremony Nero is hosting tonight," Krista said, her eyes suddenly filled with sadness.

After Eren finished washing, they walked back from the way they came and she showed him a tunic strewn across his bed. Krista helped him dress in the confusing garment and she spoke with a quivering voice, "No matter how much hospitality Nero gives you, do not become brainwashed like the others. Tonight will show you he is a monster."

She was visibly shaking as she added the final touches on his clothing and led him to the back of the Golden House where they were met with a contained chaos unfolding from the gardens. There were cries and screams from children, women, and men alike. Some were on their knees praying, others were singing together in ominous chants, their agony clearly in view of those present.

There were soldiers and a couple Eren recognized as Reiner and Jean standing off to the side. Reiner and Jean really looked as if they were enjoying the performance, or at least he hope they pretended to be. Other soldiers were lining up the captives and tying them to posts. There were about twenty people in all and Eren's heart began to beat faster, terrified for what he anticipated would happen.

A girl with blonde hair and a stoic expression dropped wood at some of the people's feet and they cried out, pleading for the soldiers to let them go. Another soldier brought out a torch, lighting the fire under their feet. On instinct, Eren started to run out to the people to rescue them, but a small hand gripped him tight and he turned around to see a terrified Krista simply shaking her head.

"What the emperor wishes to do, we must follow," she cautioned. Krista eyes begged Eren not to put himself in danger. "We need your help Eren. Please, or he will kill you and all of us."

Screams of the people being burned filled the air and Eren started to gag as the scent of scorched flesh reached his nose. The cries made his stomach drop and he sat there, unable to do a thing about it. The bright flames contrasted with the deep darkness of the sky and casted shadows across the spectators in the grass. From the darkness, the man Eren hardly wanted to see walked out and greeted the crowd with a huge smile plastered among his face.

"Greetings senators and soldiers!" he cried, merrily waving over the wails of the prisoners behind him. "I have written a song for you that I would like to share!" He waved a stone tablet in his hand and cleared his throat.

"Darling, Krista, come here. I almost forgot you always accompany me. I even brought your lyre," He motioned for Krista to join him and she hesitantly walked over to take the lyre from his hands and began playing a melodious sound.

"Tell them to be quiet. I am about to sing!" Nero snapped at Reiner as he signaled for the people behind him to stop wailing, as if they weren't being burned alive. Reiner began to kick some of the slaves on the ground and whipping those who were tied to the posts, which indeed had the opposite effect of silencing them. Nero cleared his throat once more and began,

_Young girl young girl_

_Red flower upon her fair head_

_Walked around the rose bushes, lonely_

_For her lover never returned_

_She dared to cross her leader_

_No, not her, she would never_

_Betray the king for a lover_

_Who would never return_

The blood curdling screams and chants of the people, Nero's song, the soldiers' cheers, and Krista's lyre created a cacophony of sounds that made Eren want to vomit. He didn't know much about poetry or songs but he was sure Nero's performance was horrid, yet the audience clapped anyway. His deep bow made a mockery of art.

"Thank you! Thank you!" he beamed. Simply pinpointing Eren from the crowd, Nero made his was over to the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. He faced the people burning on the posts and they listened to their screams together like they were enjoying an opera. "Listen to them, and their beautiful voices. Yet, not superior to mine, of course."

Eren was stiff and unresponsive. His face was sunken as Nero intriguingly tilted his head so his blond curls fell to the side. "We are not having second thoughts about staying here, now are we?" Before Eren could even think of an answer, Nero pat his back and strode towards the peristyle corridor, whistling to the screams jubilantly as he went to his quarters.

Eren stood, watching the flames and embers disappear little by little into the darkness of the sky that burned part of his humanity and soul. Maybe it was his imagination or the screams of the people, or even the stupor that consumed him, but he thought he could hear Krista weeping in the distance.

Perhaps he would have been better off eaten by the titans after all.

* * *

**Chapter 2 Notes:**

Everyone that Nero finds important (in this story) stays in the Golden House ("Domus Aurea"), a very beautiful "palace" of gold and luxury. This palace was built in the heart of ancient Rome between 65-68 AD, after the great fire destroyed Nero's old home, "Domus Transitoria" in 64 AD. For the sake of this story, it's already built. Some believe Nero let the great fire burn a large, _convenient_ space of over 200 acres in the center of the city for this house of indulgence.

None of Nero's activities reflect anything to my liking. I don't burn religious people, overindulge in extravagance, and murder others for fun. I'm just writing Nero as the psychopath that he is. He was known to love the arts and give absurd performances to the public that his senators did not approve of. Yet everyone followed their emperor despite his stupidity.

Nero was in an incestuous relationship with his mother and an abusive relationship with his step-sibling/wife Octavia. He was just an awful man, who could love him? He even banished his mother from the palace and grew bored of Octavia very quickly as you will see.


	3. Hope Rising

Thank you guys for the reviews. Still not to the turning point of the story just yet! This story is only ten chapters, but trust me, it's an adventure. Enjoy!~ And keep up the reviews, I love to hear what you guys think.

* * *

...

AD 59

"My mother has criticized me for far too long," Nero brooded as he crossed his arms on his chair. He looked like a small child who was angry at an adult for not giving him sweets. "Annie, love, what do women want from men?"

The stoic faced girl merely shrugged her shoulders. Annie rarely spoke to anyone and the emperor was no exception. If it wasn't for her superior fighting skills, he would have dismissed her years ago. Plus being one of the only people that didn't flinch when they made physical contact was an added bonus. Nero shrunk into his throne further and his wreath fell lopsided upon his curls.

"Perhaps Octavia can come back," Nero sighed. "She is extremely boring though. Acte is a much fairer lover than Octavia."

Annie merely stared at Nero; he could never tell what she was thinking, though he didn't blame her. Only ten years old, she wouldn't have much to say on the subject of love. Though with her furious attitude in training, he found her tips most useful for the other children her age, yet he still had no idea where she had acquired her skills. He would have made her a soldier if she were just a little older.

There were footsteps from the edge of the throne room as a guard came in to salute him.

"Sir, you have a visitor," the soldier addressed him. Nero straightened his posture to show the man he had piqued his interest. Agrippina walked into the chamber with guards on both sides of her. She didn't look at all happy to see her son as a mother should have been after being separated for months.

"Oh, it is you. I do believe you were banished from here," Nero groaned, slumping back into his chair. His mother frowned deeply at his demeanor.

"Your people are angry for the way you treated Octavia, Nero. There are riots in the streets as we speak," she scolded. These days Agrippina rarely held her tongue when speaking with the young man.

"_She_ is no longer banished mother," Nero protested. "_She_ will come back to the palace soon enough even though _you_ show your face here."

He shrugged as if he had solved the problem. Nero never knew what anyone expected of him anymore. His senators always accused him of over spending, his mother and the public criticized him daily, and Octavia bored him to death. How could _he_ ever be happy?

"You are a selfish boy who should not be emperor," his mother said with a grimace. Nero was so furious, he didn't know he had crossed the middle of the room to the woman. He back handed her and the sound echoed to every corner. Annie stood rigid at the throne.

"You dare insult me, you pig!" Nero seethed. Agrippina's flat eyes and cheek stung as she stared at her son.

"I will not," she stated. "I have watched you transform into someone I do not know, someone I no longer love, a monster-"

Without hesitation, Nero jumped on top of his mother and began to strangle her. The soldiers holding her stood back, though their faces looked surprised as they watched the man. Hot tears began to stream from his eyes and he spoke in stifled sobs.

"You never loved me. You let me grow without a father, and you never loved me. You never loved me. You never loved me. You never loved me…"

Like a mantra, the words surrounded him, and with every word he cracked Agrippina's head against the tiled floor until he saw blood. Nero gasped as he watched a stream of red flow in between the cracks on the ground. He stared at his hands in complete disbelief and scrambled away frantically from his mother's lifeless body.

"Get her out of here!" he shrieked. Nero hysterically pointed at his guards. "You will speak about this to no one."

As the guards drug Agrippina out of the room, he glanced back at the throne to see Annie trembling slightly. Her wide eyes and cheeks shined as tears silently poured down her face. He looked at her with a disheartened smiled.

"You would never leave me, Annie?" Nero asked, his voice laced with a tinge of hope. Annie absently shook her head, but for some reason Nero's smile still felt empty. He stared at Annie for a minute more before curling up into a fetal position on the ground, sobbing until he lost his strength and sense of time.

...

AD 68

Krista held her head in her hands as she wept. She hiccupped and Eren solemnly looked on, not knowing what to do. Ymir, the Golden House's main artist, comforted the girl as she shook in her arms. He felt like he was intruding, but Krista was his personal servant and he had no other event he was called to. On top of that, he didn't know where to go without getting lost; he was like a lost pup. They were already in a darkened corner of the palace he wasn't familiar with and the place was a confusing maze.

"H-He was speaking about y-you, Y-Ymir," Krista sniffled. "I think h-he knows about u-us."

Krista continued to shake, breaking down in Ymir's arms once more. Eren couldn't tell, but the song that Nero performed yesterday was somehow directed at Krista, at least she believe so. Ymir calmly brushed Krista's back, "There now, we cannot be too sure."

"He c-confronted me, m-months before," Krista whimpered. She gripped Ymir's knee forcefully, gaining more power as she spoke. "Nero told me he would make you disappear if he continued to s-see us together! He may know I am the oracle because of the bounty. But I do not understand, you never told him where you received the inspiration for the fresco. You have to leave again, Ymir, escape from him. I will be f-fine…"

Krista sobbed again and Ymir glanced up at Eren with a stern face. "I ask that you not disclose this with anyone. You must be a good friend of hers if she would bring you to see me today, so please take care of her when I am gone. She cannot live like this with me here, she is not her true self."

Eren nodded as he felt a deep pit of sadness in his stomach for the two girls. Just like Eren, they were trapped in the hell of the Golden House. He undoubtedly didn't see anything wrong with the similar sex couples as there were plenty in his small village growing up. They didn't harm anyone for all he knew, but to Nero and all of Rome, they were something of a disease. It was all confusing to him. He walked away from the couple to give them some privacy, even though he had no clue where he was going.

"Maybe the first step to seek new territory is to get lost," he mumbled to himself, remembering the quote his father would tell him when they went out to explore the forests when he was young. His footsteps echoed around the corridors as he was in deep thought. Eren's mind had been infested for hours with the subject of the prophecy. Earlier that morning, Ymir and Krista showed him the fresco of the boy from the vision, which had been greatly destroyed by Nero.

He couldn't tell if the boy in the picture was him like Krista claimed. From what he could make out, it was a scene of a boy under the dark sky, his back to the viewers as he raised his sword to the crowd in the fire illuminated stadium, and stood over a mangled body. There was a warm light that surrounded the boy, exaggerating that he was the hero, something added of Ymir's creativity he supposed. He didn't protest, but honestly, the person in the image could have been anyone. Krista predicted the prophecies, Ymir painted them out, and it was all they had to rely on. Though Maria, Rose, and Sina had approached him themselves, right? Maybe that was a sign, anything that said otherwise would take away hope from the people that needed him.

"This is too troublesome," Eren sighed, not wanting to deal with the stress of his actions being able to cause great harm to the empire he knew nothing about.

"Oy, Jaeger," came a gruff voice from down the corridor. Eren spun around and his chest tightened. If he ran at that moment, he would still be able to get away, but it would make him look suspicious. Reiner strode towards him at a menacing pace and instead of wearing his usual frown, he had a smile on his face (which Eren didn't find any less threatening). "You should come and train with the rest of the soldiers. I am on my way to the fields now."

Eren needed an excuse not to go because he didn't feel comfortable around Reiner at all.

"I do not have any armor or training equipment," he blurted.

"Not to worry, you can borrow mine. We can train with my squad's equipment, too," Reiner suggested.

Eren inwardly cursed. "I would not know what to do anyways."

"I can show you."

Eren grimaced, noticing that Reiner seemed quite adamant to train with him. He finally decided on walking around Reiner, back to wherever his quarters were located, but the larger boy blocked his path by leaning in front of him along a pillar.

Where do you think you are going, Jaeger?" Reiner asked, his eyebrows lifted upwards intimidatingly and Eren's ears pricked up in irritation at the blond. Ever since their ride in the carriage, Eren knew that he did not like the man standing before him. He glared at Reiner's golden eyes, trying his best to convey he did not appreciate being undermined, even though inside he was trembling.

"I do not want to train with you," Eren seethed. He shoved Reiner out of his way and tried to walk down the hallway, but Reiner spun him around. There was no time to think as Reiner's entire body swept in to lay a punch to Eren's temple, knocking him into a nearby bush. Eren saw white spots in his vision when he quickly tried to recover.

"Come on, Jaeger, show me what type of man you are," Reiner teased.

Eren tried to kick Reiner in the abdomen, but the stronger man caught his leg and flung him into a stone wall with a resounding thud. Eren coughed when dust and pieces of debris crumbled from the ceiling.

"Are you holding back on me? What happened to the warrior in the arena yesterday?" Reiner grabbed Eren's toga, lifting him inches up from the ground. He raised his fist to deliver another blow to Eren, but stopped when he heard footsteps approaching at an alarming speed.

Suddenly, Reiner was kicked sideways by a girl around Eren's age. Her shiny hair was dark like her eyes, which pierced Reiner with the ferocity of a harpy. At first Eren thought Reiner had fallen unconscious before he quickly turned around to see who he had been assaulted by, ready to deliver a blow until he saw the girl boldly standing before him. His cheeks took on a darker tint of red as he inhaled a shaky breath.

"D-do not think we are finished, Jaeger," Reiner sputtered, scrambling away and down the hall. The dark haired girl stared him down until he was out of sight. She then turned her attention to Eren to assess his damage.

"We must take you to a healer," the girl said.

As far as Eren was concerned, getting to a healer was one of the last things he wanted to do. He felt more dazed and embarrassed rather than hurt. He had been saved all because he was too useless to do anything. Eren lifted the back of his palm to touch his stinging lip and saw blood. It was the only spot that seemed to be bleeding at the moment, though the side of his head did ache.

"I would rather train," Eren said, his strength restored. He reassured the girl with a firm look as her dark eyes seemingly filled with concern. He smiled. "Do you think you could lead me to the training grounds?"

She nodded still slightly unsure as she helped Eren to his feet. They reached a nearby aqueduct with clean water so Eren could wash his face. They walked down the hallways of the Golden House in silence for some time.

"Thank you for being back there," Eren finally said, his cheeks becoming somewhat hot. She nodded her head acknowledging Eren, but she didn't say a word. The girl didn't seem like one for conversation, but Eren wanted to speak with her. Maybe if he portrayed an air of friendliness she would open up more. "You really are powerful. Are you a soldier?"

She nodded her head once more though she appeared more concentrated on reaching their destination. He hadn't really expected her to affirm, as girls were not usually a part of the army, but he guessed Nero had made an exception with her skill set. He could tell from below the stola she wore, that her body was more muscular than feminine, but it didn't take away from her beauty. For some reason, it didn't hurt his pride that a girl his age had more muscle and fighting power than him. Instead it spurred him to want to learn as much as he could from her and her fellow soldiers.

"What is your name?" Eren asked. "I am Eren."

"I am Mikasa."

"Do you live here in the Golden House?"

"Supposedly I do, but I try not to stick around. I like the open streets much better than this terrible luxury."

"Then you must not enjoy the emperor's company around the city then, eh?"

"The first night I arrived, his servant assassinated his wife in front of me. I do not enjoy the sight of the emperor's face if I can avoid it."

Eren was proud to have received more than a nod or a sentence from Mikasa, but that immediately made him quiet. When they finally arrived at the fields, there were hundreds of soldiers spread out across it, and Eren didn't know where to look as they moved in swift movements. Some sparred with other soldiers, some practiced against the equipment covered with dangerous spikes, and more soldiers even wrestled with wild animals. The commotion excited Eren and he wanted to start refining his skills immediately.

Mikasa helped Eren dress into a woolen tunic under some body armor and she put on her own. She motioned for him to follow her and Eren was easily aware of the stares many gave him as he passed. They reached a sturdy blond man with thick eyebrows donning blue and black bruises all over his torso. The man stood across from Eren's favorite soldier, Corporal Short Man, in what seemed to be a training session.

"Levi, your shoulders are too tense, and your kicks are becoming sluggish," the man with the neat blond hair said, his voice deep. He then demonstrated to the irritated soldier a fast round kick in the air, which made the ground rumble as he landed, though Eren noticed with what appeared to be a quick wince. The man's muscled body glistened from the sun's heat even though he wasn't wearing any heavy armor to weigh him down. He highly doubted the man needed any armor anyway.

Levi, who was also well toned nor with armor, cursed at the man in front of him. "Well, _General_ _Erwin_, I would not be impressed by any subordinate you have been fighting all day, who is _handicapped_ from dehydration," Levi snapped, saying the man's name as if it disgusted him to do so. Eren noted by the grime they had accumulated on their bodies that they must have been training for hours that day.

Erwin's thick eyebrows twitched with impatience. Levi was his only subordinate headstrong enough to talk back to him and rankings obviously didn't matter to the man.

"Until you overtake me in a fight—"

Levi threw up his hands and groaned. "Always the same with you, you thick-skulled bast—"

Eren could barely hear the rest of what he had to say before Levi rudely pushed past him and out of sight. He was not military savvy, but he was sure that Generals required more respect from their lower ranks. Maybe Rome's prima donna was a special case or the small man just couldn't be contained. Either way, Eren was sure no one else could get away with that same attitude.

Immediately Mikasa saluted Erwin and Eren followed to do the same, though much more sloppy. Erwin respectfully nodded and went off in the same direction Levi had gone. Mikasa turned to Eren and tossed him a sword she had picked up from the ground.

"I usually train with Corporal Levi and General Erwin, but I would like to help you today."

Eren smiled, he was starting to like Mikasa more as she was friendlier than her demeanor let off. Though he was caught off guard when she charged at him so fast he could barely comprehend when she darted. Her blade swung around Eren from left to right so fast that all he could do was rely on the reflecting light from the sun to tell where it was. Every attack Eren tried to make was parried and before he knew it, she had him tripped on his rump, with her blade pointed at his neck. He broke into a cold sweat though at the same time appreciated her ability to take him down.

"Nero believes women are only good as sex slaves," Mikasa told Eren with a slight frown. "Such a pity."

From the distance, Eren could hear the obnoxious laughter of a familiar voice.

"Gaze upon him, our feline is not so ferocious at all!" Jean snorted, coming to gloat over the fallen Eren. He was followed by a boy with short blond hair wearing rags, holding Jean's equipment and cloths. Jean put a hand on Mikasa's shoulder and leaned in to give her a cloth to wipe away her sweat. "Of course my Mikasa could easily defeat you."

Eren heard the swooshing of the blade she wielded almost slicing the tip of the boy's nose off. A few strands of Jean's brown hair drifted to the ground, eliciting a very unmanly squeak on his behalf. Eren laughed until his stomach hurt and he was not exactly sure how the egotistical soldier could make such a sound.

"B-be quiet, Eren!" Jean stammered, his face turning redder than a tomato.

"Oy, you know my name," Eren smirked. Eren tried to reach for the towel in Jean's hand but the soldier immediately snatched it away from his grasp. "I feel so adored. Oh, and you owe me twenty sestertii."

"Like I would actually give it to you," Jean sneered. He turned from the two, trying to mask his humiliation by sticking his nose in the air. After he left, the blond boy approached Eren and handed him a cloth before hastily looking around. He gave a warm smile that could soften any hardened heart.

"Please, do not mind his temper. He is a good man, I promise," the boy said before hurriedly chasing after Jean.

Eren looked at Mikasa with his eyebrows raised and he could see a tug at her lips suggesting a smile.

"Two enemies down in one day, Eren. What will I do with you?"

They both burst into laughter and it was the first time the weight in Eren's chest seemed to disappear in weeks. It was agreed from then on, Mikasa would train him to fight his own battles.

...

It came on short notice when Krista announced that Nero was hosting a festival for Commander Pixis, who would be departing to govern his Cretan ships. If Eren was honest with himself, he really didn't want to attend the festival, but as it was being held in the Golden House, there was nowhere for him to hide without them knowing. He was also sure Nero or one of his guards would come looking for him if they saw one of Rome's new celebrities missing.

He spread his arms outward and raised the tunic above his sandals. Nero insisted that they dress up for the specific occasion and gave his prime soldiers new white togas made of silk and laced with gold. The emperor wanted to showcase the wealth of the Roman Empire… or at least the wealth they appeared to have on the surface.

When Eren had found his way back to his bedroom, he overheard one of Nero's closest advisers talking about how the excessive extravagance the emperor wasted money on would bankrupt the empire and starve them all. Nero had kept telling his soldiers to double the taxes of the people, so they could spend more than what they already owed, only to create more debt. By the time Eren was done listening, he was livid enough to punch a wall, which caused his knuckles to bleed.

Eren groaned and glanced at Krista nodding her head approvingly. He made Krista teach him how to put on the robes himself because he felt bad for making her do it most of the time. Eren also made her address him informally as it made it awkward to be addressed like he was superior.

"This is correct? It looks fine?" Eren asked turning around for her to observe better.

"You look fine, Eren."

"You look like a pile of horse dung to me."

Eren's face bitterly sunk as he turned around to see the inconsiderate fool that insulted him and was not at all shocked to see Levi leaning against his wall. Eren didn't even hear him come in. He was dressed in the same robes as Eren, though more immaculate and not a wrinkle in sight. He wanted to insult the man posted at the door, but Eren couldn't find anything wrong with him, except for his attitude and height, that of which he had remarked on already. He merely turned and tried to ignore the corporal.

"No one asked for your opinion. Come on, Krista, we can leave for the festival," Eren said as he forced a smile. Eren tried to leave the room with his dignity intact though Levi didn't seem too keen upon that.

"You look ragged!" Levi taunted. "Krista, I cannot fix this boy like you asked. He is beyond repair."

"Levi, are you not being quite cruel-"

"Krista, he looks as if he came from a barn, and his hair is horrendous," Levi scoffed, pointing at the mop on top of Eren's head. Eren's eyebrows furrowed as he brought his hand up to insecurely rub the back of his neck. Levi hadn't been wrong. His hair was ragged and hadn't been cut for weeks since his capture in Germania. It had grown to the lower part of his neck, where its dry ends tickled his skin.

"Levi, that is why I called you to help…"

"You told him to help me?" Eren asked, his frown apparent and his voice embarrassingly raising an octave.

"He is the best at trimming hair among the soldiers!"

Levi sighed, pulling out a blade and began to stride towards Eren. "Krista, you may leave, I will direct this slug to the party after I cut off his wretched mane."

"I am not letting you anywhere near my head with that!" Eren protested while backing into a corner of the room.

Krista looked back and forth anxiously between the two, questioning whether it was a mistake to have both of them in the same room.

"What? You do not trust me? Look at my hair, I keep it in a more presentable form than the rag upon your head," Levi said, feeling mildly offended at Eren's response.

Eren contemplated whether or not he wanted his hair butchered by Levi. Not only was his hair troublesome and long, he didn't know how to cut it, as his mother regularly fussed over it for him. He glanced at Levi and noticed the corporal _did_ have neat hair, primly cut at the bottom and not a hair out of place at the top. Maybe he could trust Levi just this once, though he did grimace at his option.

"It is fine, Krista, I can handle this. You are free to roam the festival," Eren gave in. Krista nodded before leaving the room with a nervous expression, giving Eren space to glare at Levi as if he were sizing him up, though he inwardly chuckled because there wasn't much for him to do so.

"I should be giving you that dirty scowl, you look like a filthy mutt," Levi scoffed as he pushed Eren to sit on the floor. The short man mumbled obscenities once he put his blade to work. Eren could feel the cool blade metal touch his skin, but Levi's adept fingers worked to keep any nicks at bay. Little by little, dark hair descended to the floor and Eren found himself closing his eyes.

He didn't want to admit it, but as the man cut away his hair, it sent delightful shivers down his spine. Eren personally liked it whenever someone played with his hair, and the man's light maneuvers were no exception. The waves of tingles on his neck and scalp didn't cease and he sort of felt like he was drifting to sleep. Eren wouldn't have minded staying like that for a while longer…

"Are you dozing off, princess?" Levi teased as he leaned over Eren. "There, now I can actually look at you without gagging."

Eren pouted and left the room to go check his reflection in the nearest aqueduct. Levi must have been a sorcerer; he looked completely different. His hair was short and tidy once more. It took all of the willpower he had in order to administer a remark of gratitude to the corporal. At least, Eren could be grateful he still had some hair left on his head.

Levi and Eren entered into the palace's dazzling banquet hall where they were greeted by many guests, who nodded their heads in approval at them. Nero's senators, many nobles, other wealthy patrons, and an assortment of Nero's favorite elite soldiers packed the room. Out of the crowd, the emperor immediately spotted them (he sure had a talent for that) and came over to give his greetings. The most remarkably dressed of them all in sapphire gold laced robes, his smug smile appeared to show he knew just that.

"Yes, my robes fit the both of you quite nicely," he stated with pride. "I would like you to-"

"Father!" an excited voice interrupted through the crowd. A small boy dressed in an extravagant tunic and toga like Nero's, but fastened with an intricate golden fibula at his shoulder. The boy's curls bounced when he ran over to the group. Unlike Nero, he was slender, his skinny arms embracing the larger man, and his expression beaming. "I have just returned from the hunting trip. You should have seen me, Father, I killed many hares and bores! Though Erwin will not let me kill titans…"

"That is marvelous, my son," Nero said, patting the boy's hair with a smile that, for the first time Eren had seen, seemed very genuine. He looked up, as if he had forgotten that Levi and Eren were there, and he raised his shoulders with pride. "Ah, Eren, you have yet to meet my son, Renatus Caesar Augustus Germanicus."

"Wow, you are the titan man!" Renatus exclaimed, pointing at Eren as he jumped up and down. "Father! Father, I want to fight like him! Have him train me!"

Again, Nero's hollow smile appeared on his face making Eren feel troubled and confused at the same time. Why would the child want to train with him, even though he could barely fight? From what it looked like, the kid was already training under Erwin and most likely Nero, too.

"I am sure we can have something arranged, my son," Nero's eyebrow raised at Eren. The man had a gift of switching expressions like the great actor he claimed to be. "Now everyone, run off and be merry. I must address the crowd."

When Nero left to the front of the room, Renatus came up to Eren, grabbed his forearm and pulled him down to his height. Eren winced as the kid continued to clutch his arm with great force. Levi was holding his breath in painfully, trying not to laugh at Eren's misery. For a twelve year old with a large amount of strength, his small stature was very misleading.

"If you do not train me, my father will be very angry with you," Renatus said, his voice a low ominous hiss in Eren's ear. The kid released his grip carelessly and smiled at Eren before he disappeared into the room where Nero had gone. Eren couldn't tell if the furrowed expression on his face was from the throbbing in his arm or the disbelief that he was just threatened by a child.

"Not good with children, I see," Levi said, finally succumbing to his laughter he had been trying to stifle through the whole situation, and Eren grimaced at him. The man did look sinister when he laughed, as if he didn't do it often, which Eren was very sure was true.

"I did not know he had an _heir_," Eren stated, his teeth grinding. This would make the whole situation he had gotten himself into much more complicated. Levi calmed his laughing and became serious again.

"That worm is not biologically his offspring."

"What do you mean?"

"Are you dim? It means Renatus is not his child, fool."

"But-"

"It is not important," Levi groaned ending their conversation by going towards the food table. Eren decided to follow Levi around like a lost animal since he didn't want to be talked to directly by any of the aristocrats that he didn't know.

Endless amounts of meat, fresh pork in the form of whole boars lined with vegetables, and an assortment of fruits were splayed across the table. Numerous amounts of soft and hard bread were placed next to red wine and among other assortments of food Eren couldn't even begin to name. He had never seen that much food in one place in all of his life. There were servants that stood guard over the table, and Eren was wondering what Levi and him were doing there. No one was eating and they wouldn't be able to take away any food – except Levi.

Levi shamelessly took three whole loaves of bread in front of the servants and shoved them in his tunic. Eren gaped at the corporal's actions in which the servants, for some reason, chose to ignore.

"What are you doing?" Eren asked, hysterically checking to see if any of the guests were watching.

"Be quiet, you will create a disturbance!" Levi hissed, making his way to the edge of the banquet hall and out onto the dark peristyle walkway in the cool night. Eren's curiosity begrudgingly made him follow the man outside into the cool night. Hopefully, Nero wouldn't notice their disappearance as he spoke to the crowd, ready to sacrifice a bull's blood in the honor of Commander Pixis. It only affirmed Eren's choice to leave as he did not enjoy the pompous parties Nero hosted.

The stars twinkled and reflected brightly among the garden's rose bushes. In the distance, Levi waved Eren to come over to where he knelt.

"If you just stand there in the light, you will make us both look suspicious," Levi snapped as his eyes narrowed with impatience. There was no one else in the garden but Eren quickly jogged over. He was utterly confused as Levi reached for the three loaves of bread from his tunic. He pursed his lips and let out three short pitches that sounded like a small rodent scratching against wood. "Just stay away from the emperor for now. He cares not who you are, he will kill you."

Levi continued his pitches and Eren jumped when he heard another three pitches from the darkness. He realized there was a human figure emerging from the bushes.

"Where are you, Levi? You know I have bad eyesight," the figure said as it grabbled in the dark amongst the grass. Levi sighed.

"Hanji, I am located by the porch at the edge of the long bush," Levi said. He held his hand out until Hanji could touch his palm. Eren saw a woman with reddish brown hair and eyes approach them. Her appearance looked frazzled and she wore rags that looked as if they hadn't been cleaned in months. He was surprised Levi even let the woman touch him as the man made it clear when Eren walked passed him in the halls that he was strict on his cleaning policy. "You need to invent something that will allow you to see well."

"Ah, it does not aid me to roam in the darkness either," Hanji laughed. "But some of us have no choice. What did you bring this time?"

Levi handed her the three loaves of bread. "That is all I could bring without creating any gaps on the table or suspicion like last time."

Hanji didn't care as she gratefully took the bread and stretched to embrace Levi. She rubbed her glossy eyes that began to water over. "There are some children in the village that are too weak to walk, but I am sure if I give them this, they can last for a few more days. At least until Sasha and Connie return."

"Have they finally been caught?"

"They have guards in place of the servants posted at the food tables at parties now, so Sasha and Connie can longer smuggle food," Hanji said, her expression agitated while ruffling her hair. "The slums are becoming restless. I think a riot will commence soon."

Eren let out a hollow laugh, making both Hanji and Levi look at him, irritated and annoyed.

"I knew this empire was not as rich as they claimed to be," Eren said, a blush emerging on his cheeks while he directed his gaze to the ground. He really needed to think before he spoke and he was about to apologize, but Hanji interrupted him first.

"Are you the titan boy?" she asked leaning in closer to Eren's face with her eyes twinkling. "My name is Hanji! The word is spreading through the villages about you. The people need you. It is a pleasure to meet such a specimen in real life, I would love to study you!"

"Thank you," Eren let out an awkward laugh to make the situation easier for him to handle.

"Eren, this is serious, you could possibly help us kill Nero," Levi said. His glare was back in full force and Eren snapped his mouth shut immediately. That was the first time the corporal had used his name. It was probably only right that he finally took his position seriously. "If we are not careful, we will not be tried as murderers against the emperor; we will simply be killed. No questions asked. Do not take him lightly. We are speaking of a man who killed his step-brother on the eve of his birthday and watched him die with glee."

Then there was a tense silence before Levi finally addressed Hanji. "Have you received any word on my squadron?"

Hanji solemnly looked at the ground, "I am doing my best to dig up information in nearby villages, but so far my results have yielded nothing. Nero has kept very tight lipped with the information for years."

The silence came again and Eren didn't dare speak. "Thank you. Take care of yourself, Hanji," Levi said waving her off. There was an awful voice most likely belonging to Nero singing in the banquet hall, and the man's frown deepened. "We must return to the festivity."

"You take care, too," she said as she crawled back to the bush with the loaves in hand. She nodded at Eren once more. "Please do not forget about us, Eren."

With those last words she disappeared into the night. Levi walked back to the warm light of the Golden House and into the entrance without checking to see if Eren followed. The corporal didn't even have to threaten him not to speak about what had just happened, his aura gave off the suggestion itself. Walking into the light of the palace, Eren came to the realization that he may have just witnessed a part of the cold Levi's warm heart.

* * *

**Chapter 3 Notes:**

I was so tempted to give Eren a bald spot omg.

Nero had an affair with a woman named Claudia Acte at some point in his relationship with Octavia and he banished her. Then he just went up and got a new wife, named Poppaea Sabina, after bringing her Octavia's head on a silver platter (no joke, for real). Many didn't appreciate the way he treated Octavia and rioted because of it.

Killing one's mother or father was one of the worst things you could do in Ancient Rome. Congratulations, Nero. You get the biggest jerk award. Other crimes include raping a virgin and robbing a temple, both which I am sure Nero did because he was a douche. It is unsure how Agrippina died, but it is speculated Nero may have poisoned her, not the death I portrayed here. He did banish her from the palace like a brat though.

Homosexuality was bad in Rome, but only if you were the submissive one. You were seen as sick if you were the one who wanted to be penetrated by the man, but if you were doing the penetrating you were seen as normal. It was weird. I don't know what they had to say on lesbianism though. That was harder to research.

Nero didn't have a son named Renatus, I made him up. But he did have another child. Stay tuned.

Britannicus was also poisoned at a dinner party attended by his sister, step-mother, and apparently Levi (okay, not really), on the eve of his 14th birthday, the night before he became a man so he couldn't take away the throne.


	4. Written in the Stars

I think this may have been my favorite chapter to write. Mainly because of the Ereri starting to take form. Enjoy~ and reviews are welcome. And thank you to those who have followed or added this story their favorites!

* * *

**...**

AD 64

"Erwin, take your soldiers and spread out around the city. Any of the dead we will have to leave for now. For all the citizens you find alive and without homes, direct them to stay at the palace."

Erwin departed into the crumbling city with his soldiers without a second thought. Emperor Nero tried to control his body which shook with terror at the sight from his palace. Rome, _his_ Rome, was in utter chaos, engulfed and bathing in flames. The fixtures and all of churches, buildings, homes, roads, and people were burning.

This was the end of Rome.

Not if Nero could help it.

He ran to the streets just as he did in his youth, but this time not as the mischievous boy he once was. He wouldn't hurt anyone this time; Rome needed him. Amongst the screams of agony, Nero navigated the streets and sent people to seek shelter within his palace. The fire was all around, but the safest part he found was his own home and he could lead them all there.

The further into the the city Nero went, the more his heart sank. More buildings crumbled and the flames seemed to grow hotter; he felt as if he were entering Hell. Sweat began to drip down his face when he heard a small child crying in the distance. Nero edged closer and the wailing became louder when he entered the run-down house, avoiding the falling debris.

Under a mangled woman's body the child lay wailing and crying. The mother's weight crushed him as he tried to wiggle free from her. She had been killed from a blow to the back of the head by the falling wood while trying to carry her son to safety. Nero grimaced when thoughts of his own mother passed through his mind and a stinging pain grew in his chest. Without knowing why, his anger for the child swelled and he had an impulse to leave the boy to die of suffocation until something caught his eye.

The boy had curly blond hair and blue eyes, just like his late daughter Claudia. She had only survived for four months before her illness displaying the titan's syndrome took over. The healers didn't know what to do with the poor girl and in the end they had to let her go before she fully transformed into a titan.

Nero's painful memory became even more vivid when the child reached out to him, pleading to be saved. It was like Claudia was speaking to him, Claudia had been reborn into this boy. Nero pulled the boy from his mother's body and ran out of the building before it groaned under its weight, collapsing with a hot wind. The child sobbed into his arms and Nero could feel a warmth inside of his chest spark when the boy leaned into him.

"Ssssh," Nero cooed as he walked back to his palace. "You are safe with me now, young one."

...

AD 68

"I. WANTED. A. WOLF!" Renatus shouted from the top of his lungs at Reiner and Bertholdt. The kid snatched the Italian sparrow the boys were holding and squeezed it until it made frantic squeaks. Worried, Bertholdt took the small bird away much to the boy's dismay. In retaliation, Renatus grabbed the nearest object from the mantle, a gold lined piece of tableware, and threw it in the soldiers' direction where it made a horrifically loud crack on the wall. "Father never gets me what _I_ want!"

Reiner and Bertholdt looked at each other, afraid, as they were still not used to dealing with the small boy's temper after only a few years with him. Eren's lips were red as he hit bit down on them, trying not to laugh. He should have felt bad for the soldiers, but he just couldn't bring himself to do that. The child may have been more dangerous than Nero if he had been given a blade.

It had been a couple of days since the festival that sent Commander Pixis off to Crete and Eren was (forcefully) assigned to train Renatus. As Eren could barely fight himself, he was tripped every time in combat against the boy much to the latter's disappointment. Luckily, Mikasa was secretly there to assist him and give a few pointers on fighting though she looked like she really didn't want to. Probably for Eren's sake, even if Renatus did laugh at him for taking advice from a girl. Eren had to stop Mikasa from ending the boy's life on the field as it would bring them needless trouble where Annie stood guard.

The kid was quite lethal as Eren could still feel the pain in his sides where the boy had kicked him relentlessly. What else should Eren have expected from an heir trained under the general and the emperor himself? He knew his skin would most likely be bruised the next day from dealing with the insolent brat, but right now Renatus was Bertholdt and Reiner's problem. At least the situation beat having to fight in the stadium as entertainment for the time being.

"Your father said a wolf is too dangerous, young master—" Reiner tried but was cut off by another flying plate, this time only barely missing his head.

"I DO NOT CARE!" Renatus screamed. He crossed his arms and slid down against the wall with a prominent pout. From the opposite end of the hallway, a soldier Eren was not in the mood to see, strode towards them with his familiar blond servant as his side, carrying what appeared to be stone tablets.

"Oy, Renatus, what is the commotion?" Jean mused, his eyebrow rising.

"Father will not give me a wolf," Renatus's mouth dramatically stretched into a deeper frown.

Jean laughed and pat his blond servant on the shoulder roughly, which emitted a squeak from him as he almost fell over. "You remember Armin, Renatus? Well, he is pretty smart and can find you a wolf in no time! Can you not, Armin?"

Jean turned his menacing gaze to the servant boy, Armin, who sputtered in a shaky voice, "Y-yes, I believe so." Armin looked over the dangerous soldiers and the heir until his eyes met Eren's. Jean tugged at Armin's rags and gave Eren a dirty look which was well reciprocated.

"We will find you that wolf, Renatus, but first I must deliver these tablets to Marco for etching," he said as he left the hallway. Eren felt odd as Armin stared at him until he was out of sight, very sure the servant's curiosity for him was growing with every passing step.

...

_Eren was running through dark narrow alleys in the city and his heart pumped frantically because he felt like he was being chased._

_He was led down another dark alley when he heard the voices of the three women. "Do not run, Eren. We need you, Eren, save us, Eren. Help us, Eren. Help us."_

_He was trapped down the side road with the glowing eyed Krista, who pointed behind him once more._

_When he turned around, the soldier was there holding the blade above his chest as he thrust downward._

Eren gasped, accidentally inhaling a small amount of water into his lungs which made him cough violently. He had somehow fallen asleep in the bath and now his heart was racing. Before he had come to Rome, he never had such dreams and that was the second time the menacing soldier had appeared and Krista had glowing eyes. It was starting to unsettle him.

After Eren finished his bath, he went back to his quarters. Nero, thankfully, did not require his presence any longer as he was trying to catch a couple of bandits with a few guards out in the markets that evening. He was tired and fully prepared for relaxation, but stopped in surprise to see Levi laying nonchalantly on his bed.

"You bathe for too long," Levi stated as if to simply answer why he was there.

Flustered, Eren covered his body with his tunic as much as he could. "What is this? You cut my hair once and then it is fine to intrude on my privacy? Sincerely, Corporal, please exit my room now-"

"Hurry up and dress, I need to take you somewhere," Levi said, clearly ignoring him. Eren simply shut his mouth and he gave up. It was obvious the man was not going to budge from his post anytime soon. He noticed the man threw him darker cloths that greatly resembled his. When he went to put on the tunic he noticed the man's eyes were still on him.

"Well?" Eren asked, jutting his chin out. Levi mockingly rolled his eyes and turned away from Eren.

"Probably not much to see anyway," he scoffed. Eren grumbled as he dressed in the clothes and prepared his sandals. Krista was not at her post (and he was a bit thankful after that disturbing dream) as Eren had become used to navigating around the Golden House and dressing himself. She usually only came around to Eren's room to tell him of specific events or pretend she was working so she wouldn't arouse suspicion from other guards. Reiner seemed attracted to her though, which she often found troublesome, especially when he gave Eren dirty looks after seeing the two together.

Once Eren finished dressing, Levi cautiously led them around the hallways of the Golden House until they reached the peristyle corridor that hosted the artificial lake in the distance. There was complete silence between them and Eren didn't know how much longer he would be able to stand it. He thought of saying something to break their tension as he followed Levi to their destination, but the man was barely paying attention to him. Finally his wondering brain was caught by two whispering voices around a corner.

"Jean, I love you dearly, but we cannot hide away like this anymore," said a soft voice. Eren peaked around the edge as his curiosity defeated his willpower once more. His eyes widened as he held back a gasp from what he did not expect to see.

"Marco, I… I love you, too, but Nero—" Eren heard Jean say, his voice opposite from his usual arrogant tone, shy and unsure. The annoying soldier's face was soft when he stood in close proximity with a boy who had neat dark hair, freckles, and a kind face. Jean leaned in close for a passionate kiss on Marco's lips and Eren had to rub his eyes to see if his vision was correct.

Jean, the egotistical soldier, was in a homosexual relationship. The man who claimed the women of Rome would throw themselves at him. The situation should have been comical, but for some reason Eren could not bring himself to laugh. Maybe it was the pained expression on Jean's face when he took his lips away from Marco's.

"We could always run away…" Marco suggested, his eyes brimming with concern as he soothingly rubbed Jean's forearms.

"I do not wish to hinder you, Marco. You are a scribe and you finally have a home—"

"Eren! Do I have to treat you like a dog?" Levi hissed so only Eren could hear him. He grabbed Eren's arm and yanked him from the corner. Eren had to cover his mouth as he let out a startled yelp that made Jean and Marco jump in sheer terror. As Eren was dragged to the opposite direction down the corridor, he saw them quickly escape down another corridor, but not before he witnessed a swish of blond hair go around the adjacent corner. Eren believed it was probably just Jean's servant boy, Armin, or at least that's what Eren told himself to assuage the brewing pit in his stomach.

Levi led Eren by the arm until he felt a comfortable pace at which he was sure Eren was following. They had at least reached the center of the Golden House gardens, where the bushes surround the artificial lake, its dark deep water reflecting the white moon like gems under the sun. Eren stared harder into the pool and saw specks of white which he guessed were the mirrored stars. His gaze was carried upwards and he nearly gasped for the second time that night.

"Wow…" was all Eren could say as he continued to stare up at the sky. He could have tripped over his feet for all he cared.

"Dammit, what is wrong with you?" Levi asked, his tone clipped and annoyed. He looked at the light reflected in Eren's eyes as he also gazed upwards and groaned. "I told you before, a bug will make a home in your mouth if you keep it open like that."

Eren caught his wondering mind and shut his mouth after murmuring an apology.

"This is just… beautiful," he said softly. He had never seen that many stars in Germania as the land was mainly consistent of morasses and deep forests which made it hard for Eren to get anywhere to see the sky. "There are just so many of them, I have never experienced this before. I know it is silly, you must have seen this dozens of times, I will stop now—"

Eren cut himself off and decided it was better if he just appreciated the vastness of the sky in silence because Levi stared at him with his usual cold expression. A couple of moments of silence passed as they made their way to the outer gates, and Eren heard Levi let out an exasperated sigh.

"Eren," Levi said, "Do you see that cluster of stars over there? That is Orion, the hunter, one of the easiest constellations you can find in the sky."

Eren's ears perked up as the man pointed up and made a rectangular shape at the stars in the sky. As the captain moved his finger to another point in the darkness, Eren had to fight the sensation of his lips tugging into a smile.

"Sagittarius, the Archer," Levi continued then directing his finger at a neat line of stars not far off. "His arrow points at the bright red heart of Scorpius called Antares, ready to avenge Orion, slain by the scorpion's sting."

Eren nodded encouragingly to let Levi know he was still listening though it all sounded like a foreign language to him and he had no clue what the man was talking about. He was just happy they were actually talking and Levi wasn't berating him for once.

"Perseus—"

"—the hero," Eren interjected as if he came to a sudden realization. Levi raised an eyebrow as he stared at Eren in amusement. Eren, somewhat flustered, defended, "My father use to tell my mother and me tales from his travels…that story scared me the most, especially when he beheaded the snake woman."

He laughed uncomfortably as Levi smirked. "You mean Medusa? Well, you are not as idiotic as I thought," he joked and he looked to be more relaxed when he returned his gaze to the sky. "Perseus, the first one I ever learned, cannot be seen during this time of the year."

Eren's chest felt slightly lighter and warmer as they talked more about the stars, without him being insulted by the shorter man, and it felt great. If he wasn't mistaken, maybe Levi was actually human under all the scowling.

"My father always talked about the skies from his travels, but I never truly understood what he meant until now when I am seeing it myself. I have not seen him since I was younger… I do not particularly want to… not after he attacked me and left my mother," Eren's voice was solemn and his eyes shifted to the ground as the silence engulfed them. He looked over to Levi who stared back, something in his face showing slight concern but then a fraction of a second later furrowing to confusion. "I apologize I am speaking too much again."

Eren didn't expect to feel the hand pat his back, rubbing him gently as if to somehow comfort him, and his skin prickled where Levi's hand rested. Levi smirked, "You do speak too much and you never know when to keep your mouth shut, but I will let it slide just this once."

"Thanks for your kindness, oh great Corporal," Eren mocked. They persisted in their slight banter until they reached the outer gardens and Corporal Levi was actually laughing with him.

"Keep your voice down," came a deep voice from when they reached the edge of the garden. The man with the thick eyebrows and blond hair ominously emerged from the bushes donning a dark hood over his head. Levi immediately ceased laughing and as if it were normal for his body to correct it, his face reverted to harboring his usual scowl. This didn't go unnoticed by Erwin, who for a quick second, narrowed his eyes at the Corporal's actions then lowered his hood.

"Levi," Erwin tried to caution as he reached out a hand to touch the shorter man's shoulder, which was promptly shrugged off.

"Let us not discuss this now, Erwin," Levi said coldly. "We should focus on why we brought Eren here."

Erwin begrudgingly nodded as he glanced at Eren with his sharp eyes that made the boy shiver. The general began leading the two of them through narrow passageways of the streets in a heavy, uncomfortable silence. He noticed the man's slight limp and Eren began to wonder what could have caused it. He wanted to break the tension, but he was very unsure of the history between the two men and just left it alone like they had. The quiet atmosphere was becoming unbearable and Eren had no idea how long he would last before they had reached a familiar face.

Hanji stood before them with a jubilant expression and beckoned them over excitedly. She winked at Eren which caused him to slightly blush.

"Long time no see," she chirped. She then turned to Erwin. "We have had some new developments…"

Hanji led them through more crumbling streets where people dressed similar as her, in filthy rags, lie moaning or sleeping in the cold roads. Their stench was insufferable as they passed and Eren did all he could not to clench his nose, not wanting to be rude. Some of the older people slouched and walked slowly as if there were a heavy weight tied to their bodies. Children coughed in a way that hurt his ears and made his chest pang with sorrow. A man with missing teeth and bony arms approached Eren with the same dead eyes that matched everyone around him.

"Please, sir, I need money to feed my children," he begged as he clung to Eren. Eren didn't mean to flinch but it was his initial reaction to someone that caught him off guard. "I will do anything for you, sir, please…"

Hanji immediately came to clasp the man's hands from Eren's tunic and she gently laid the man down on the ground where he continued to speak to himself about his children. Her face was laden with pity as she shook her head.

"He still thinks his children are alive," she said softly, then refocusing on waking down to a part in the village and entered into what looked like a hut. The small building was falling apart with barely any stable ledges for windows. There was hay strewn out upon the floor which made up the beds of the abode.

In the center sat a young boy and girl about Eren's age chattering very excitedly to one another. Just like the other villagers, their bones peaked through under their skin and they wore tattered clothing. The boy had cuts on his shaved head and the girl with pinned up brown hair and hazel eyes also had scars upon her body.

"I cannot believe we barely made it out this time!" the boy said, gesturing wildly with his hands as the girl laughed. "Next, time we will kick their asses!"

They had obviously not heard the group enter the hut until Hanji cleared her throat, and the two immediately hushed their voices to see who had intruded upon their conversation.

"Eren, meet Sasha and Connie, our village's glorious food bandits," Hanji said like she were introducing somebody famous. Sasha and Connie smiled brightly at the unfamiliar face of Eren.

"We just returned from a party one of the nobles hosted," Connie said with a mischievous smile.

"They thought a couple of guards around the dining tables could deter us," Sasha snickered. "I have never seen Nero run so fast—I am just happy most of the children and elders in the village could be fed this time around."

"And we only got a few scrapes from the guards! We are getting better," Connie beamed as they showed their battle scars which may as well have doubled as war trophies with the jubilant expressions they shared. Hanji congratulated them and her face turned serious.

Hanji beckoned Erwin, Levi, and Eren to sit with them in a circle only illuminated by the candle on a small table in the corner. Levi cautiously closed the doors and makeshift windows before coming to join. The air grew serious and Eren didn't know he was holding his breath until he felt light headed.

"By far Eren is one of the only hopes we have in defeating Nero," Hanji started, staring deeply at Eren. "I have studied titans for years and I have never crossed someone who gained symptoms from the titans and lived to tell the tale."

"The whole situation had me confused as to why the people who were harmed or came into direct contact with the titans contracted their disease, but Eren does not seem to be that case," Erwin said, looking Eren over.

"Along with all this talk of the prophecy crap, and a hero, everybody else's guess to what is happening is as good as mine," Levi stated after crossing his arms.

Everyone in the room turned to Eren as if expecting him to divulge a huge secret. They really wanted to know how he had gained his titan characteristics. He stared dumbfound at the group because he honestly did not know what to tell them. It would be very confusing as he barely believed the story himself.

""Uuh…there were these three women," he started while cautiously watching their reactions. He noticed Erwin leaned in closer with his brows furrowed. "Their names were Maria, Rose, and Sina and they told me Rome was about to fall…or something like that. The next thing I knew, I was engulfed in a bright light and there was cheering and blood, then there were dreams, I died—"

Eren stopped short as he remembered the horror. Levi let out a sigh that, thankfully, didn't seem to be directed at him.

"She was right," Levi stated, his voice heavy. He looked at the group seriously, "This prophecy that the village knows about, involving the boy, Krista told us she believed Eren may be that one from the prophecy. If what he says is true."

"Well, you had not told him the names of the goddesses and I am sure Eren was not born with those powers," Erwin said to Levi. "When Octavia was alive, she spoke of the prophecy in the stone tablets. I was skeptical and I did further research which led me to Krista. Then Krista told us about the boy of the prophecy being brought here to Rome, that boy she believed to be Eren."

"As much as I cannot believe in these 'goddesses', it is all we have got to run on," Hanji settled on the matter. "I wish I could see proof myself."

"It is like when the people pray to the gods to heal their loved ones," said Sasha with a hint of encouragement. "I think you must believe hard and they will come to you, or just have faith in them."

"Yes, but where are _our_ gods? Do they really care about us? The people of the slums are dying in their own filth every day," Connie said, his happier tone from earlier disappearing altogether.

"Maybe Eren could be our god…" Sasha said as if she were stating something of a conspiracy theory.

"Do not become rash, this kid can barely enter a bath without tripping over his own feet," Levi sneered and Eren frowned. "If anything, without this damned prophecy, we could have killed Nero a long time ago if we just took the time to _strike_."

Levi side glanced Erwin with furious eyes. Erwin ignored his glare and retorted, "The most haphazard thing we could do is strike at the wrong time, Levi."

"It seems that the wrong time has stretched _over ten damn years_. How much longer do we have to wait, Erwin? Britannicus, Agrippina, Octavia, Poppaea, the citizens, _my friends_—"

"Levi, do not—"

"Damn Nero to Hell, Erwin! You were not there when I watched him kill his second wife, kicking her to death until there was blood everywhere—"

"Was that the same year the senators plotted to kill him?" Sasha interjected.

"Yeah, but he fed them all to the titans because he was so scared. What a baby," Connie laughed.

"_What?_" Eren said, his brow furrowing.

"Everyone, calm down," Hanji cautioned, her face darkening. "At least we know where this prophecy is heading and now we can begin."

"The people in the outskirts, our more impoverished regions, are becoming even more restless," Connie added.

"The richer citizens will not see us coming; they are distracted by the shows and the amount of food he gives them," Sasha said. "The lower slum's populace could snap at any given moment and they could take over the city. It is only a matter of time."

"But when it happens," Hanji continued. "Sasha, Connie, and I will be at the front lines to tear down the walls of the Roman Empire."

"Speaking of attacking, why has Nero not killed me yet?" Eren asked. This whole situation was finally sinking in and he was beginning to realize the role he was playing in the fall of Rome. He could feel his palms begin to sweat when he searched around the group for an answer.

"Nero is a coward and an idiot," Levi said unafraid. He leaned forward towards the group. "The bastard was dim witted enough to have the 'oracle' serve the 'hero' simply because he does not know the basic information on what is going on. Additionally, if he did put Eren in the arena, other than to showcase him, he would probably be too afraid to have him fight. Eren could win and come at him with a vengeance," Levi shifted his eyes to Eren. "This man is an imbecile, because after you fought in the arena he just thinks the patricians came to _adore _you, all while under the surface plebeians came to see you as hope for their strife. Nero will never tell you that."

Eren's cheeks became hot, as he was aware that Levi had some faith in his abilities and he felt like the man was on his side, fighting a battle he felt so alone in.

"He also thinks the plebeians do not know of the prophecy, but he has done well to keep it a secret from his upper class," Erwin grunted. "That is why he has a bounty over the oracle's head, because he does not want any more predictions that could threaten his rule. Now that we have Eren, he knows that something is off and he is becoming more erratic."

"This talk of the uprising is nice and all, but when can we kill Nero? He has his Praetorian Guard around him now more than ever before," Levi said feeling annoyed.

"I have Mikasa investigating that tonight," Erwin interjected. "She is following the guards and Nero around the Golden House as we speak."

"Then the plan is in motion," Hanji said, her mouth stretching into a Cheshire grin.

"Who is going to kill Nero?" Eren asked still feeling left in the dark. Everyone had been confusing him for the past few minutes as the conversation mainly dealt with him, but he still felt left out and slightly used. Everyone then turned to stare at Eren in amazement as if he had not caught onto the situation (which they weren't wrong about).

"If the prophecy is correct, Eren, it is you," Erwin stated.

Him.

Eren. Kill Nero.

Eren had never felt his heart jump so fast to the bottom of his throat in his life. How could they all be so sure, resting the fate of Rome in his hands?

Erwin, Levi, and Eren finished their discussion and exited the hut with their hoods on once more.

"Hanji, we can supply you with new cloths if you wish," Erwin suggested, his expression displaying concern.

Hanji shook her head. "That would only isolate me from the people, though thank you for your offer."

She waved them off into the darkness before curiously shifting her gaze between all three of them, nodding at Eren once more, and then disappearing.

The walk back to the Golden House had to be one of the most uncomfortable and tense experiences Eren had ever had. The corporal and the general were not speaking to each other as they walked in silence on either side of Eren. He was uncomfortable being stuck in the middle of the poorly matched duo.

Eren decided to look at the scenery instead of being present in the tension that surrounded him. He nearly forgot to breathe; he was so scared that making any sudden movements would cause harm, like he was trying not to frighten a wild animal.

Erwin was the first to break off of the group before they reached the gates of the back gardens to the Golden House. A part of the man's forearm was uncovered and Eren could see the dark bruises he had seen before on the man's skin during training. Eren looked closer at it, and Erwin moved his toga to quickly cover the mark from the boy's view.

"It was a pleasure to meet you again, Eren. I hope you now further understand the gravity of the situation Rome faces," Erwin stated, his eyes dark. Eren simply nodded, afraid to say anything else. There was just something about Erwin's manner that didn't make him want to step out of line. Erwin then turned his attention to Levi in a somewhat begrudging manner, appearing more reluctant to speak to him. "I am going to fight titans on the outer walls tomorrow near Naples on a deploy mission for Nero. I will be back soon."

"You can depart to your house now, _sir_," Levi scoffed and immediately began walking ahead of Eren. With a burning feeling of guilt in Eren's chest, he saluted Erwin, and began to catch up to Levi. He swore he heard a deep sigh from the blond, as he headed towards his quarters. Whatever was happening between the two men, Eren did not feel it his place to question. He was sure before he would even get out the questions he had swarming in his head, a blade from Levi would be plunged in his chest. He decided it would be better to leave it alone.

Eren stared up at the stars once more like when they had traveled to the slums. They shined even brighter as it was edging to be in the deepest part of the night... or morning. Either way, Eren was drowsy as a small yawn escaped his mouth and then he squeaked in surprise.

"What is happening?" Levi asked, frantically turning around and taking a blade out from his pocket. He scanned the area for any search of movement.

"One of the stars in the sky fell or something- ow!" Eren said as Levi smacked him in the back of the head. Eren rubbed his injury looking hurt. "What was that for?"

"I thought you saw something important. Do not startle me like that," Levi growled, trying not to sound too perturbed. Levi looked up at Eren and was slightly bemused at how easy it was to entertain the boy. It was like dangling a string in front of a feline.

"I am sorry, it is just that I have never seen these things before," Eren muttered.

"You know," Levi said. "I read somewhere that when one sees a streak in the stars, that means the gods are looking down upon them, and they receive a wish."

Eren looked at Levi as if he were joking and the older man looked back at the sky.

"I do not believe it at all, of course. The damned gods are not real and if they were, they sure are awful for making some citizens live prosperously while others suffer."

He kicked at the grass as Eren watched with a pained expression. They walked in silence for a little bit more; he just didn't know what to say.

"Eren, if you could wish for anything, what would it be?" Levi asked in a softer voice. He seemed dazed, like he were walking mechanically, his feet dragging him.

Eren pondered. "I guess I would wish to see my mother again. The empire took her away too soon," he laughed it off casually and glanced at Levi who raised his eyebrows. He felt a slight pang in his heart to better the mood. "Maybe feed Nero to the tigers, you know, and the courage to tell him his singing is horrible."

"Really now?" Levi teased. "A young man like yourself should be wishing for harems and endless amounts of gold."

"Well, I believe that would not be too bad either," he laughed. "And while I am there, throw in a few titan battles for the public and all the food I can eat." Eren began to dance around with his cheeks puffed and his hands stretched out in an absurd fashion around his belly, which could only be an impersonation of the great Emperor Nero himself, causing Levi to roar with laughter.

"You are going to get us killed out here, you idiot," Levi tried to hiss as he hugged his stomach. It shouldn't have been that funny but he didn't have that much in his life to laugh at lately. Eren tried not to smile as the air between them carried away an invisible weight from inside his chest and replaced it with something warmer. Eren couldn't tell what it was, but he did like the nice feeling of it spreading to his fingertips, prickling under his skin when he heard Levi laugh.

When Levi finally composed himself his tone became the utmost sincere, "Eren, do not let Nero take anything away from you. He has already taken so much away from me. That man will claim anything as his own and he must be taken down. They did not tell you, but after this is all over, Erwin's plans involve making me the emperor. Oh wipe that dumb look from your face— but some things in this city have to change."

Eren silently looked at the man as they had finally reached the back end of the Golden House's dark corridors.

"What would you wish for, Levi?" Eren asked, his curiosity holding onto him again.

"There is no point anymore. My wishes have probably run out anyways," Levi sighed.

"Oh, come on, there has to be something."

"It is not important."

"So you are going to let me go my whole life without knowing? Thanks," Eren said with a sarcastic smile.

Levi smirked and waved Eren off as he walked down the opposite end of the hallway to his quarters. Eren made his way back to his room, for some reason wondering about what the corporal would wish for with a smile still on his lips.

* * *

**Chapter 4 Notes:**

Surprisingly, Nero may have not fiddled while Rome burned and actually did all he could to help the people of Rome survive, even going as far as to let people stay in his house because they were in trouble in the streets.

Nero had a daughter, named Claudia Augustus who survived for fourth months before dying (of course not from the titan's disease).

I'm not sure about this one, but I believe in AD 65, Nero's senators got tired of his antics and tried to have him murdered in what was called the Pisonian Conspiracy. So, of course, he killed them. (Again, we all know, not with titans.) That same year, he may have kicked Poppaea to death as their relationship crumbled and he grew even more psychotic.

Not all the constellations can be seen within one season. Perseus can be seen in the winter in the northern hemisphere, and in the summer it can be seen in the southern hemisphere. Scorpius can be seen in the summertime in the northern hemisphere. Sagittarius can be seen in the northern hemisphere in the summer, and so forth. Those should be correct if I researched it right. Woot, constellations are beautiful! Go look at them sometime.

Patrician – nobleman/aristocrat.

Plebeian – a commoner/peasant like me.

Praetorian Guard – basically the Secret Service/bodyguards of Roman Emperors.


	5. Goodbye, Friend

AD 65

Months after the fires had ravaged Rome, Armin sat in the throne room, shivering not just because it was cold, but because he was terrified of the look Nero gave him.

"Father, this one is boring," Renatus whined as he pointed at Armin like he was accusing him of a crime.

"But, my son, he is fair-haired just like you wanted," Nero cooed.

Armin sat on the ground grinding his teeth in silence as he broke out in a cold sweat. His grandparents had been killed and he had been left homeless in the wreckage of the great fire that had massacred thousands in Rome. As he was brought to the palace, and lived there for months in the gardens, he caught the eye of the emperor's new "son" who wanted him to be his toy to play with.

He was made to entertain the boy at first, but Armin didn't want to participate in the joy the young boy took part in, which involved beating up kids his age. Armin, of course, was older than Renatus, but he would not be able to do anything about running away if the empire had something to say about it. Not only that, the Praetorian Guard took turns watching over the young boy to make sure nothing came to harm him.

"That is a shame," Nero said with feigned sadness. He looked at Armin with a sadistic glint in his eyes. "I guess we will have nothing to do, but dispose of him, yes?"

Armin's body began to shiver violently as the Praetorian Guard began to close in on him.

"WAIT!" a voice rung out from the crowd. It was a soldier with brown hair on top of his head and he looked to be a little older than Armin's age. He stepped forward to kneel in front of Nero with an unsure countenance.

"What is the meaning of this, Jean?" Nero's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What do you think you are doing disobeying orders?"

Jean took a deep bow to the emperor. "My apologies, your highness, but I wish to have Armin as my servant if he is no longer of use to you."

"And why is this if I may inquire?"

For a quick second Jean looked slightly erratic as he scoured his brain for an excuse. "I…need someone to carry my equipment when I go to train and be my personal servant…your highness."

Jean looked up once more and hoped to the gods that his excuse seemed legitimate. Nero glanced at him and Jean could feel his heart rate quickening to an inhumane speed, until finally, the emperor smiled.

"Very well then, Jean," Nero laughed. He whispered something into Annie's ear and she nodded her head. Annie tossed Armin to Jean at his feet and Jean blinked dumfounded. As he noticed everyone was staring at him, he regained his composure and straightened up.

"I am grateful, your highness," Jean said with another quick bow. Jean quickly grabbed Armin by the scruff of his neck and dragged him out of the throne room, much to Armin's displeasure. Jean continued to lug him around the corners and corridors being reconstructed after the fire had destroyed it. He eventually stopped when he came to a boy with freckles and a kind smile upon his face.

"I cannot believe you made me do this, Marco," Jean pouted and Marco chuckled.

"I guess you can say that we are simply helping a friend, yes?" Marco inquired to Armin.

Armin blinked at the boy he had not seen in such a long time and his vision blurred because his eyes began to water.

"You are fine, Armin, we will take care of you now," Marco said with a warm embrace.

...

Eren felt a sudden need to help Levi on his conquest to become emperor. He found himself also wanting to make Rome a better place, and his heart performed somersaults whenever he thought of the man. His cheeks turned hot as he pat his face to try and wake him up from his trance. What was he thinking? As Eren sat in his room that night trying to refocus on some fighting tactics Mikasa had displayed to him, he heard a distressed knock at his door. When he came to it, he nearly jumped when he saw a solemn faced Krista not meeting his eyes in a state of shock.

"Krista, what is wrong?"

"Emperor Nero wishes me to invite you to a meeting in the gardens," her voice was monotone and dead as her eyes, leaving a nauseous feeling in his stomach as he followed her out the door. When they reached the hippodrome gardens he saw a crowd of people and soldiers chattering about. There was a post Reiner and Bertholdt were stacking wood at the bottom, which made Eren's stomach flip as he knew where the situation was going. He spotted Levi and Mikasa on the other side of the garden and tried to go over to them when Jean, followed by Armin, crossed his path.

"Titan boy, are you here to enjoy the show?" Jean sneered. He crossed his arms and laughed as if he were about to see another theatrical play. Oppositely, Eren was in no mood to see another human being burn.

"Move, Jean I do not want to play," Eren growled as he tried to shove past the boy and tried to ignore the jeering. He pushed Jean in the stomach and the soldier almost fell on his behind.

"Why you—"

"Guests, fair guests," Nero beamed. "I have a lovely, lovely surprise for you all tonight."

Nero smiled as he gathered in front of the crowd and waved his arms with glee. Eren's chest began to hurt as he looked over at Mikasa and Levi with worry. He knew the surprises that Nero had were never entertaining; they usually ended with tragedy.

"Thanks to one of my special ears around the palace," Nero continued. "I have discovered one of my soldiers is suffering from a mental illness, but not to worry, I am sure tonight's event will fix him."

_Illness? What illness?_ Eren was suddenly confused again.

"One of my poor soldiers has been bewitched by our scribe, Marco Bott," Nero said, his voice suddenly serious. He made a small motion and Annie brought out a struggling boy, the same boy Eren saw last night with Jean. Someone had given him a black eye and a swollen cheek upon the face that was usually painted with a smile.

Eren was sure the drop of his stomach was nothing compared to the way Jean felt at that moment. He turned and saw Jean's smirk was no longer in place, but a look panic— no, dread, Eren couldn't pinpoint it, but he knew just on the surface that everything to the soldier was lost. Marco was silently crying and scanning the crowd to look for someone. His eyes landed on Jean and he mouthed the words: "I am sorry."

It was as if everything shifted in slow motion when Jean ran up and threw off the burning logs, scorching his hands, on the flaming post Marco was tied to. It was with pure dread that Eren stood frozen, able to do nothing, while they apprehended the struggling Jean as he threatened to burn along with the scribe. It was as if Eren were going to vomit when he saw the Praetorian Guard threaten Jean with blades and Nero tried to soothe him with his disgusting caress.

"Sssh, Jean, it will be over soon," Nero cooed.

Jean just watched in absolute horror as Marco screamed in pain. Marco cried as his limbs jerked in every direction all at once. Jean couldn't bring himself to cry as something of a dark hole developed within in his chest watching the people do nothing and enjoying the show. He felt empty and with a blank look on his face he continued to stare off into the darkness of the night. Finally when Marco stopped moving, he shoved off the guards and he turned towards Armin with the same lifeless expression. He walked towards the boy as if he were the living dead and Armin in turn backed away with apparent fear.

When Jean reached him, he grabbed the front of his rags enough to lift him off of the ground and Armin broke out into a cold sweat.

"You did this," he said in a barely audible whisper. Armin would have rather had Jean yell at him instead of silently speaking to him in the eerily comatose demeanor. "You are the one who told them of Marco, did you not?"

Armin's heart began to beat faster as he found it very hard to breathe while Jean lifted him off of the ground. He didn't understand what Jean was trying to say, he would have never told on him and Marco to Nero at all. Marco was his friend and he wouldn't do anything to hurt him. Armin was so shocked all he do was stare at Jean, dumbfounded, while racking his brain for an answer.

"You are not saying anything, obviously you are guilty, Armin," Jean seethed, He was so angry his breathing hitched. Jean threw Armin down onto the ground with a loud thud. "I challenge you tomorrow, in the arena, in front of all of Rome. You will die."

Eren was stunned at what he was seeing in front of him. From the short time that he knew him, Armin seemed like an altruistic boy, he would never do anything as foolish as this. Eren walked over to where they were standing and he placed himself in front of Armin as if to protect him.

"Think about what you are doing, Jean, this could have just been a mistake. You are taking your anger out on the wrong person," Eren cautioned, his eyes never leaving Jean's face."

Nero gave Marco a home when he did not have one, he let him live here with me and—" Jean's voice cracked as he looked as if he were rationalizing something in his mind. He clutched his head as if he were in pain.

"Jean what is this talk? Did you not love him? He just killed—"

Eren felt the sturdy hand on his shoulder and he immediately turned to see Emperor Nero smiling at him.

"Eren, this is a matter between a soldier and his disobedient servant. Right now Jean is probably going through after effects of his sickness so it is best if you leave it alone," Nero said feigning sadness. Nero looked at Jean with the sly smile of a cat that just caught a delicious treat. "I will have everything ready and prepared for our spectacular show tomorrow, Jean.

"Why you—"Eren turned to punch Nero, but immediately stopped when Reiner hoisted himself in front of the emperor, menacingly glaring at Eren.

"Oh, watch that temper, boy," Nero teased.

Armin continue to stare dumbfounded at Jean when his eyes began to water. "Please, Jean, please. No, Jean, please."

You will feel the pain Marco felt," Jean glared at him with the unwavering cold eyes and he walked out into the dark corridors with a stifled sob. Nero begin to clap his hands joyously and inappropriately (which he had a knack for doing, Eren would add).

"Well you heard him, everyone," Nero cheered. "I was going to hold a sacrificing ceremony tomorrow in the arena, but it turns out we will have a wonderful performance instead."

The pompous emperor strode pass Eren over to Annie who was standing close by. He could see him pat her on the back and whisper something into her ear as he stared at Marco. Armin was too stunned to weep as the Praetorian Guard came to take him away. Eren leapt out to help Armin but his forearm was caught by a strong grip and he turned to see Levi staring at him sternly, keeping him in place.

"We have other business, Eren," Levi said. He stared at Mikasa who begrudgingly nodded her head in agreement even though she did grit her teeth with anger. Eren yanked his arm away from Levi and trembled slightly. The place where Levi had touched him was slightly hot and did not understand why his cheeks started to feel warmer, but he knew at the same time he felt furious. "Worrying about needless deaths is what got the empire into this state in the first place. We must focus our mission forward—"

"What is _wrong_ with you? Yesterday you said you wanted to help the people and here you are holding me back from helping a human being in danger. We need everyone to work against Nero," Eren argued. "We have to help—"

"And risk getting you killed, good plan," Levi hissed. "Now that the prophecy is in motion we must keep you low."

"Well why can we do nothing for them now? Do not tell me you were only talk yesterday, Corporal," Eren said in disbelief. Levi didn't open his mouth to explain and he just gave Eren a hard look that made him forget his further rebuttals.

"Oh yes, before you all return to your quarters, I have a short piece to perform," Nero interrupted and Eren was sure that his stomach was not the only one in the courtyard that dropped unpleasantly. Nero waved Krista over with the lyre he always seemed to carry around, and she begrudgingly took it and started playing a soft melody. Nero cleared his throat like he were preparing to address all of Rome.

_The young man so defiant_

_Longed for the king's crown_

_But he failed to kill power_

_And his world crashed down_

He ominously looked over the crowd, eyes stopping where Levi stood for a brief second, and then suddenly had a gleeful smile on his face again. "How was that everyone? I think I am improving with my rhyming, yes," he said as clapped his hands on his accomplishment. Eren looked over to Levi whose grim countenance spoke clearly of how he felt at the moment. Eren could feel a heavy sense of disappoint growing in his chest.

Mikasa and Levi returned to their rooms without another word to Eren, leaving him to look upon the burnt charcoal mess that was now Marco. Soon the garden was empty and the only ones left were Eren and Krista, who silently wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks. Eren had told her to retire for the night, but she did not want to leave him alone. The smell of burning flesh did not even trouble Eren anymore at this point. Like the first night, the smell was so repugnant he could taste it, but now all he could do was stare into the red flames blending into the empty darkness of the sky. He did not know when he had returned to his room, but he could barely feel the bed under his skin tingling with numbness, hoping not to top the evening off with another nightmare.

...

The next day, Eren could not bring himself to watch the match and his stomach felt sick for a boy he barely knew. He secretly hoped the guards had forgotten about him, as he had stowed away in his room, until they had appeared at his door saying the emperor demanded his presence in the arena.

Just like every other event, the people of Rome lined up by the thousands to see what battle their emperor had to put on for them next. Eren, Mikasa, and Levi sat under the canopy next to Emperor Nero, who looked as if he was positively enjoying himself. His Praetorian Guard of Annie, Bertholdt, and Reiner stood alert next to him and searched the crowd for anyone suspicious.

Eren found himself scanning the arena, not wanting to talk to Levi or Mikasa as he was still peeved with them. He noticed, sitting next to Emperor Nero, was someone Eren had never noticed before. With long dark and curly hair, Eren would have suspected to see a woman but instead the person had broader shoulders and a slightly wider jawline that seemed more masculine than anything. The person's face was donned with makeup to give them the appearance of femininity though they were not really fooling anyone. They had piqued Eren's interest for the time being, but he decided to turn his attention back to the preparations for the match.

Underneath the stadium and the narrow corridors Jean prepared his armor. Furious and desperate could not begin to describe how he felt at the present moment. Marco was gone forever. It seemed like it was just yesterday where that boy from the slums would come and visit him at the palace every day. He eventually came to know the boy and how smart he was, and it was only a matter of time before he fell in love with him. Jean's chest ached because they had to keep their relationship a secret up until the day of the poor scribe's death. As he strapped on his armor plates, he paused and thought for a minute.

He didn't want to think about the titan boy's words, but what if Armin had not told Emperor Nero about Marco? What if he was wrong? He had specifically told Armin alone that he was going out to meet with Marco. Therefore the noise that he heard yesterday night in the corridor could have only been Armin who had found them. The thoughts made him grind his teeth and he clumsily finished strapping on the rest of his plates as his hands shook with rage.

Armin sat in another dark room under the stadium, trembling from head to toe. His eyes burdened with heaviness as he had not slept the previous night due to frightful nerves.

He had been born in the slums and not captured as a prisoner of Rome, so there was no need for him to battle in the arena previously before this. Moreover, he had never even come to a show before becoming Renatus's servant and he felt no inclination to do so. Everything Armin had learned about fighting had been in theory through old stone tablets he read with his grandfather. He was inexperienced and he prayed for the gods to be on his side.

"This is bad," Armin stated to himself. Marco was his childhood friend, and a smart boy who learned to read and write with him under the teachings of his grandmother. Reading and writing in the slums was a very rare skill that many adults did not have. The empire could have used them to write documents and historical accounts, but the boys had better plans that consisted of exploring the world outside the walls of Rome. Yet, when Marco was finally caught after visiting the palace frequently, for reasons Armin did not know, he thought he would never see him again. That was until he was rescued.

Above he could hear the thousands of people as they lined up to take their seats, thumping the ceiling above, which made him tremble even more. The crowd cheered as he could hear Emperor Nero announcing the match. Guards came in to hoist Armin by the shoulders and shove him out of the entry way into the dark corridors. They threw him a measly sword, and pushed him up the dirty entrance way into the arena. He might as well have been naked and vulnerable as he had no armor to defend himself.

The sensation was disorienting to see waves of people everywhere cheering and screaming at him. Armin did not know what to do and he thought he was immediately going to pass out. He could clearly see Emperor Nero smiling down at him from the royal canopy section. Beside him was his Praetorian Guard with Eren, Mikasa, and Levi who all did not look happy to be there at the event.

The gate across from him on the dusty arena opened and Jean walked out, fully dressed in his armor and ready for battle. Armin didn't even notice his knees buckling and trembling with his puny sword in hand, as he was distracted with the whole array of the scene before him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the battle begin!" Nero yelled.

Eren watched as Jean charged at Armin with full speed. Armin immediately ran in the opposite direction towards the edge of the arena, where he ran into a very hard wall. The audience laughed as people clanked their cups and drank wine in merriment, looking at the poor boy run for his life. Jean threw a sword at Armin and it landed right next to his head, barely missing him by a centimeter. A few of his blond hairs fell to the ground and his heart began to race even more. Armin could hear the audience roaring with laughter again at his expense; to them, Armin was merely nothing more than an animal doing tricks for their entertainment.

As Jean closed in on him, Armin began to babble, "J-J-Jean, you are making a m-mistake!"

Jean yanked his sword from the hard wall as Armin ran the other way yet again and the audience jeered Armin's cowardice act. He could not care for all the sestertii in the Roman Empire for their opinions, he just wanted to survive and not be at the mercy of Jean's rage.

"You should have thought of this before you killed Marco," Jean yelled. He ran after Armin, bringing his sword down for a lethal blow, but Armin rolled out of the way before he could do substantial damage. There was a stinging pain on Armin's left shoulder as he looked to see a river of dark red pouring from where Jean had nicked him. He began crawling away in desperation, a whimper escaping his lips when Jean continued to slice at him erratically with emotional disdain. He was really going to die like this, wasn't he?

"Oh, Jean, oh, Jean," Nero cried sipping on his wine over dramatically, his fat cheeks pink and giving the hint that he was slightly intoxicated. He hiccupped as Jean ceased his chaotic swinging to look up at Nero in a confused manner. Nero waved obnoxiously at him to catch his attention. "My dear Annie—" he put an arm around Annie's shoulders. "—and I were hopin' we could purify you from your sickness, Jean, but now here ya are killin' a poor, innocent boy."

Nero laughed until he hiccupped, along with the audience as Jean's face contorted in sheer confusion. Armin's mouth was agape though he should not have been surprised that Nero's lap dogs were always behind the horrors plaguing people of Rome.

"I do not follow you... sir," Jean shouted, his tone unsure.

"My darlin' Annie was the one who told me ya were bewitched by that disgustin' scribe, Marcus or whatever 'is name was," He waved his arms nonchalantly and laughed taking another swig of wine until he coughed, "Oh, fur the time 'as passed now, Jean, give 'em a show, give 'em a show!"

Jean stared down at the grounds before Armin as a million thoughts seemed to be racing through his head making it too congested to think properly. Jean clutched his head in pain as he tried to block out the incessant noise of the crowd creating a cacophony in his mind. Armin tried to steadily reach out a hand towards Jean to calm him, but retracted as Jean's blade barely missed slicing off his wrist completely.

"Please, Jean, Marco was my friend," Armin whimpered.

"I do not believe him or you," Jean said with a hollow voice. His eyes looked slightly glazed over, but when they reached Armin's face they blazed with renewed fury. "It had to be you. You were the only one I told!"

He sliced at Armin's leg, giving him a cut that oozed more red, and Jean staggered. As much as Armin didn't want to hurt Jean, he swooped his leg clumsily under both of Jean's feet, letting him fall into a cloud of dirt. He grappled for Jean's sword and mustered all the remaining strength in his body to stand above him. There seemed to be no other options left; Jean was not going to listen to him or anyone else.

Armin finally had the upper hand as he unstably extended the sword at the soldier's throat. The crowd cheered at the unexpected turn of events and roared for Jean's death. At that moment, the only thing Armin could do was control his heavy breathing and use his willpower not to cry. Armin slowly turned his head towards the imperial box to see what action Nero wanted him to follow because at that moment it was either kill or be killed. Boastfully smiling at the audience's chants in his drunk stupor, Nero took his hand and he blunderingly formed a fist with his thumb pointing downwards. Armin thought he was going to faint, as he stared at Jean's remorseful, yet stern face.

"Well, are you not going to do it?" Jean asked.

Armin had to wipe away his qualms or was going to be killed if he didn't strike. Trying to clean his mind of any thought, he lifted the blade in the sunlight-

"ARMIN, NO!" Eren shouted from the top of his lungs and a wave of heads turned towards him. The audience stared at Eren as if he were mad and confused as to why he did not want to see a bloodbath. Eren knew that his execution of actions before thinking would get him into trouble one day, and cursing he knew he chose the wrong day. He was not fond of Jean, but he did not think that neither Jean nor Armin (or anyone for that matter) deserved to die in this humiliating way.

Emperor Nero advanced on him so swiftly he barely had time to think of his next action. Nero raised his arm preparing to backhand Eren. "Ya insolent fool-"

And probably faster than the speed of sound itself, Levi was there to block Nero with his forearm all the while glaring menacingly at the Emperor. "Do not touch him, you fat swine."

Nero's plump face began to change a darker shade of red. Eren could not tell either from embarrassment or anger as he was too distracted by his heart thrumming for some reason in his chest to care.

"Eren, you were right," Levi said his brow furrowing as he glanced back at the boy. "A person fit to be emperor would care about all of their citizens and I was foolish to have thought otherwise."

"GUARDS, SEIZE 'EM!" Nero, shouted.

Suddenly, Erin did not know whether to be shocked that Levi had protected him or that the Praetorian Guard was advancing in closer. Mikasa withdrew a sword from her scabbard and placed herself in between the two groups before Annie, Bertholdt, or Reiner could get to Eren and Levi. Levi also withdrew his sword and the crowd cheered at the unforeseen events happening in the audience itself. Many of the senators that were in close proximity of the royal canopy began to evacuate in panic.

With the crowd distracted, Armin threw down his sword into the dirt and he looked fiercely at Jean.

"Jean, you can run now!"

"Do not pity me—"

"JEAN, RUN, YOU ARE MY FRIEND!" he hiccupped. Armin did not care who witnessed, but he could no longer hold back his tears. Jean was shocked for a brief moment, but scrambled onto his feet and began to head for the entrance and the crowd began to groan in protest. Nero's attention was redirected to the arena.

"DO NOT LET 'IM ESCAPE!" He shouted and pointed clumsily. Guards entered the arena to immediately close in on Jean and apprehended him. Just like Armin had done to Jean moments before, Levi swooped his leg under Nero's feet and caused him to fall with a heavy thud onto the hard stairs. Annie dove for Levi but Mikasa stopped her stealthily with the swift movement of an assassin by placing herself in front of her. Bertholdt grabbed hold of Eren and pushed him down to the ground and began tying his arms behind his back.

Livid beyond reason, Levi slit Bertholdt's throat and a wave of crimson poured from his neck, pooling on the ground. Bertholdt clutched his neck in agony as Eren rolled out of the way, before the man hit the ground. Without skipping a second, Reiner quickly appeared behind Levi and pierced his sword through the man's shoulder and into the ground. Reiner cursed as he looked at the state of Bertholdt's body, lifeless on the hard pavement. Mikasa was taken aback that someone had caught Levi and Annie pinned her hands behind her back. Eren tried to run over but Nero tripped him on to the ground.

"Sir, what do you want to do with these felons?" Reiner asked while watching Levi shiver and spit up blood with his knee in the man's back. If he took out his sword, there was a strong possibility that Levi could bleed profusely and die if he had hit any arteries. The thought of it made Reiner smile.

Nero grimaced as he grabbed Eren by the scruff of his neck. He gave the boy a rough punch to the solar plexus and Eren double over in pain. Levi seethed on the ground as Nero leaned down merely a few inches away from his face and he could smell the alcohol on his breath. "Take 'em away. I 'ave 'ad espeshally enough uh this one. I dun care if 'e is Rome's star, git 'im out of ma sight, make uh sure 'e kunnut escape—" he pointed at Mikasa and Levi. "—make uh sure they kunnut escape. I 'ave a speshal surprise fur 'em tamarrow."

Reiner saluted Emperor Nero and drew his attention back to Levi squirming on the ground under him. Reiner felt down the legs of Levi and stop at his knees and Levi immediately tensed up his muscles trying to anticipate what Reiner would do. Reiner smiled as he began to bend Levi's leg at an odd angle.

"Stop," Eren rasped, barely able to breathe from the punch he received. What would he give to speak to Maria, Sina, and Rosa right now for it was his fault they were in this disarray. With a resounding snap, Levi's leg gave way, hanging like a broken tree limb. Levi cringed and grunted in pain though he did not scream. The crowd booed and Mikasa struggled against Annie's grip in rage. Reiner felt down Levi's other leg and did the same with a resounding crack which made Erin cringed as if his legs were being broken along with Levi's.

"Behfur we dehpart," Nero said turning once more to the arena grounds where Armin stood defiantly and shouting down, "Since ya won kill 'im, I will."

With the simple snap of his fingers the guards holding Jean cleared and a seven meter titan came to approach where he stood. With a horrendous smile not apropos to the situation, the titan licked its lips at the soldier that would become his dinner. Armin looked on in horror.

"No," he whispered. "No, no, no, no..." Armin began to run towards Jean but he immediately stopped as Jean held out his hand in refusal for his help. Jean's face looked solemn.

"Armin, I am sorry. I should have trusted you," was all Jean could muster before his voice cracked slightly. Guards came to take Armin away as he could see Jean being lifted up by the titan. Armin kicked and screamed as it longingly lifted Jean up to its mouth in delight. Maybe to take him to a place where he could see Marco once more. "You were my friend, too—"

Blood painted the ground as the titan tightened its teeth around Jean's neck and consumed his head. Armin could feel a warm liquid splatter against his face as he shakily reached up in disbelief, in a trance, pulling his fingers away seeing crimson. He began to hyperventilate as the gates closed and blocked his view of the titan devouring the rest of Jean's body.

Eren felt like he was going to vomit, and in fact, he did. The ringing in his ears must have been from the crowd cheering at the spectacle of Jean's death. Before Eren's eyes rolled into the back of his head and everything went dark, he could see the guards that were taking away Mikasa and Levi also coming for him.

...

"Eren, wake up," said a harsh whisper. Eren eyes squinted at the dark figure crouching in the window as it was hard to see through the darkness. There was the sound of pouring rain hitting the ground with great force and he could hear thunder in the distance. His drowsiness disappeared when he felt a small object as hard as a stone hit the side of his face.

"Ow!" Eren hissed when he sat up.

"Ssh, there may be guards outside," the voice said as they harshly put a finger to their lips. Eren looked closer at the person perched at the window when lightning struck and illuminated their frame. His vision cleared to see Mikasa alert and staring at Eren.

"Eren, we need to speak," she said with a low voice. She waved a smaller figure up onto the ledge and the boy grunted and struggled to climb up. The boy's arm and legs were bandaged from the injuries he sustained that afternoon and his whole body was drenched. He had never spoke formerly to the boy, but this was the best introduction they were going to receive.

"Armin?" Eren asked in surprise. "Are you alright?"

The boy laughed sarcastically. "If you mean thoroughly mentally and physically scathed, yet surviving, then yes."

Eren smiled as he took the time to look around at his space. It was obvious he was in his room at the Golden House and had not (yet) been thrown into a dungeon. As soon as he gathered himself, a myriad of questions flew into his head.

"What happened after the match? Where is Levi?" Eren asked while frantically searching their faces for an answer. A clap of thunder boomed outside.

"Jean is dead," Armin stated while shifting his gaze to the ground. "But the Corporal, Levi, is still alive in horrendous condition."

"That is why we need to work out a plan fast. I carried Armin here to help us with that purpose," Mikasa interjected hurriedly. "Levi is losing a lot of blood and his legs are not in any condition to help him escape. We need to get him healed fast or else it slows down the plans for the prophecy."

"Armin, do you know about the prophecy's plans, too?" Eren asked.

"I do not know the full details of the plan, but anyone who is a plebeian knows about the prophecy."

"Then you can help us, too," Eren nodded his head. "Where is Levi located?"

"He is being held in a cell under the stadium," Armin said. "I am certain they will keep him alive until tomorrow—"

"For the surprise Nero said he had for us," Mikasa grit her teeth and contemplated. "I do not know what his surprise is, but I am betting we can strike before he unveils it."

"That is why, we will ransom him for Levi's safe return," Armin added.

Eren's head felt light with excitement and anxiety at what the two were saying. He truly did want to rescue Levi, especially for protecting him, but could just the three of them do it alone? Against that mad man who claimed himself to be a good ruler and his army?

"Eren, I know you may think we are small and outweighed on our side," Mikasa said, her voice cautious. "But we are speaking of an imperial guard that does not put security inside of a room where they do not wish a prisoner to escape." She pointed to the emptiness and lack of soldiers in Eren's room. "I was only apprehended by Annie this afternoon because she caught me off guard and I can guarantee you that will not happen again."

"You should have seen her take out the guards outside our rooms—"

"Alright, Armin, we really should hurry. The guards could get suspicious at any minute," Mikasa said with a slight blush.

"What in all of Rome could we ransom the emperor for?" Eren asked, bending his head low. What could be so important and unforgivable to a man that could get anyone and anything at the wave of his hand?

"Do you remember seeing a woman with long, dark curly hair seated next to Emperor Nero at today's events?" Armin asked. Eren strained his memory and recollected seeing the "woman" with broad shoulders next to Nero.

"Yes...l think I do," Eren said and scrunched his eyes.

"That is Emperor Nero's new wife, Poppaea Sabina, originally known as Sporus," Mikasa said. Her eyes grew sad as she began to speak again. "He had many wives before, but this second wife, Poppea Sabina, had a gruesome death at the hands of Nero. He missed her so much he created a new wife from that boy."

Eren shuddered as cold chill ran through his body and there was another flash of lightning.

"Out of all of his wives, this is the only one he recreated. So he must really care for her right?" Armin continued hopefully. "That is why tomorrow, we will kidnap her for ransom."

"Please, Eren, help us," Mikasa pleaded. "We cannot attack tonight because we want Erwin to help us get Levi himself. He was supposed to return today, but I could not locate him. We will have to modify the plans until Levi heals, but it is all we have for now."

"Nero's son is always under supervision of the main Praetorian Guard so he is off limits. But I heard from another servant that there will be a private dinner in the afternoon where Poppaea and Nero will attend, with minimal guards, so they can be 'alone'," Armin said with a cringe. "If we can get them right before or at that dinner, we are set to go."

Eren was unsure of the plan as it seemed like a dirty, underhanded trick to try and turn the tables, but it seemed he had no choice. Eren had a small amount qualms for this unfortunate woman who was being involved in their plans, but he convinced himself it was for the sake of Rome and Levi.

"Are we sure this going to work?" Eren asked with a hint of uncertainty.

"I hope so. It is all we have for now," Armin said.

"We will see you at sunrise," Mikasa knelt down and Armin climbed onto her back. "I will search to see if Erwin has returned later tonight."

With that, Mikasa and Armin were swiftly gone from the ledge as a boom of thunder rang through the room. Eren's mind was clouded with thoughts of Levi and how he had protected him. He was sure his face felt slightly warmer when he rubbed a hand on his cheek. He truly hoped Levi would recover so they could get back to their plans. The thought of the man being hurt left a tinge of bitterness in his mouth like he had swallowed a bad root medicine. His mind swirled and plagued itself with worrying thoughts. Even with the rain creating a humming noise outside he found it hard to rest, and Eren was sure neither Mikasa nor Armin slept soundly that night either.

* * *

**Chapter 5 Notes:**

So I would like to apologize to all the JeanxMarco shippers. I didn't want it to happen. Though as they say in writing class, kill your darlings.

Don't ever be blinded by anger children. You may get eaten by a titan.


	6. The Hardened Heart

If you hate Nero and you know it, clap your hands.

* * *

AD 67

Nero lay sprawled on the ground and hiccupped while holding wine in his hand. He felt dizzy; his head boomed from the people partying and surrounding him in his peripheral vision. There were paintings and busts being knocked off of their stands in the commotion, but he didn't care. He could probably get Ymir or some other artists he knew to make him new ones.

Even though he was dawdling on his responsibilities of balancing the city's budget and filling out useless paper work, he felt they could wait. It wasn't like titans were going to attack them at the moment, so he deemed it was correct to relax and party. He and his senators were vacationing in his country villa and he had prayed to the Gods that no one would attack them, so obviously it wasn't going to happen.

It had been two years since the death of his beloved wife, Poppaea Sabina. He could still remember how he paraded Poppaea's body through the streets, and that meant he had not drank enough.

A couple of provocatively dressed women walked passed and he ogled them with a goofy grin as they giggled. He couldn't understand why the Senators did not praise him, as he saw a man dive head first off of a table and break another costly bust. The party was going very well in his opinion, his senators just didn't know how to have any fun.

"Unhand me, Ear-win," Nero snapped, as he tried to steady himself, adamantly refusing the general's help. Using a stand that held a vase, he accidentally tipped it over, and it promptly smashed over his head into pieces where he slumped back to the floor with a fit of giggles. Erwin stood next to the emperor and groaned at the man's impudence. He didn't received enough gold for his services.

Not only did Erwin not want to be in the country villa, he should have been out with his squadron defeating titans in the field to keep the public safe. Instead he was left babysitting his childhood friend, an immature emperor who was barely able to comprehend anything around him. Erwin had been forced to come along as Nero thought that he was overworking himself. The drunk man said he has destined himself to grow old and alone if he just didn't decide to party every once in a while. This only frustrated Erwin even more, as Nero constantly made time to party when the world was at its end and the human race could possibly go extinct from the titan triggering disease sweeping the country for centuries.

"You will continue to bleed if you do not place a cloth on that wound," came a soft, worried voice from above Nero. A deep gash had opened on his forehead though he looked up to see who had directed their attention to him. He was going to tell them off for what he felt was condescending, but he had to control himself from taking in a sharp breath at the magnificent beauty standing before him. There stood a young man, with dark wavy hair, creamy pale skin, and soft blue eyes just like Poppaea had.

"What iz ur name?" he asked in genuine curiosity as he stood to his feet while edging the young boy to a corner in the room. The boy looked like a frightened mouse under a cat that was going to pounce.

"S-Sporus," he stuttered under Nero's shadow and Nero licked his lips.

"Poppaea's beautee… 'as surely outlasted 'er…" he said as if in a revelation to himself. He crashed his lips on to the smaller boy's with fervor to the latter's dismay. His squeaks were swallowed by the hungry mouth that bruised and took him like a savage.

"What in the heavens do you think you are _doing_, your highness? _He_ is a not your _wife_," a Senator reprimanded Nero.

Nero pulled away from the young boy and smiled deviously. "Then make 'im my _woman_," he said while simply flicking his wrist and staring at Erwin to execute the order. Erwin stared at Nero, waiting for him to laugh as if he had just said a joke.

"Well, wot are ya waitin' for, Ear-win, ur my soldier, you do wut I says," Nero pouted as he pursed his lips.

"Sir, I must decline," Erwin stated, his voice harsh. "I do not believe you are in any state to give orders properly."

"Wut? 'ow dare you!" Nero said with a hiccup and pointing an accusatory finger at Erwin. "If you dun give me wut I want, I kannut promus ur lover _boy_ Levey will be safe no more. Or do I have ta remind ya of wut I did ta his friends?"

Erwin glared at Nero with fury in his eyes as the man guffawed like an idiot. He didn't want to be reminded of things that happened in the past. He unsheathed his blade to put it at Nero's neck, but not before over a dozen more were pointed right back at his. A bead of sweat formed at his brow. He knew Levi was strong enough to protect himself, but he didn't want to risk what this madman and his eyes around the city could do to the man.

"Give me wut I want, Ear-win, and I will never 'urt ur Lavil, ughin," Nero smirked with half lidded eyes. Erwin glared at the man, scanning his face. He couldn't believe he was negotiating with a drunkard. He reluctantly sheathed his sword and gave a deep sigh.

"I will do as you ask, but I must have a favor in return. Quid pro qou as you would say, your highness," he stated.

Nero looked at Erwin and raised his eyebrows in amusement. Erwin waved off his guards to take away the protesting Sporus, where his screams could be heard in the back room. Nero didn't care though, his lovely wife had returned and things were finally becoming interesting again.

...

AD 68

_Everything was dark. It felt like he was floating in an abyss._

_"Good heroes protect what they can until the very end, Eren," Krista said with her eyes glowing, closer to him than before. She pointed behind his back again and Eren shook his head knowing what would happen if he turned around._

_Nero appeared in front of Krista with a devious grin. "And that is why you will fail."_

_He shape-shifted into the soldier and the blade came plunging down on Eren's chest for the third time._

Eren abruptly woke up visibly shaking in a cold sweat. He was surprised to see guards in his room and he was hurriedly dressed before the sun had even rose in the sky.

"The emperor's orders," one of the guards muttered as he lifted a confused Eren and directed him around corridors of the palace. Eren couldn't even begin to wonder where he was going as it was usually Krista that woke him up for his daily duties. Finally, they stopped at a dark hallway housing different types of portraits and busts Eren was sure were previous emperors of Rome. There was a curtain blowing slightly in the wind, reflecting the red light drifting in from the sun still rising at the horizon.

The guards pushed him into a huge ornate dining room where he was greeted by an ostentatious set up for a simple breakfast. Eren timidly walked in to see a livid Mikasa and a trembling Armin seated with Emperor Nero at a long table. Neither one of them seemed to be enjoying their breakfast as they watched the pompous man eat in delight. Annie stood guard menacingly behind Mikasa, Reiner flanked Armin, and Eren noticed Bertholdt was nowhere to be found.

"Come, grace us with your presence, Eren," Nero said as if they were enjoying a picnic. No one at the table besides Nero looked as if they were about to indulge in their food anytime soon. Eren finally noticed Poppaea eating her breakfast at another end of the table in the tense silence that did not beckon him to take a seat. "We are rejoicing Armin's victory in the events of yesterday afternoon."

Eren tried to catch Armin and Mikasa's eyes, but instead forced himself to take his seat at the same end as Poppaea. There was a small clattering as Krista brought in tableware with a small meal of bread and porridge he didn't have the appetite to touch. He nervously glanced as Krista went to stand next to Nero, while shivering from head to toe with melancholy eyes boring into Eren. He felt scared to look into her eyes from his recent dreams, but nothing seemed wrong at the moment besides the fact that she was scared.

"I feel awful for never inviting you all to dine with me," Nero said feigning sadness. "It becomes dreadfully boring to eat with the same guests every time, just Poppaea, my son, and I usually. Good boy, Renatus. He is on a hunting trip right now, but he will come back later today," He nodded at Poppaea who silently sipped her drink. Nero stood up and reached inside of his robe to pull out a dark rose Eren had never seen before and handed it to Annie, whispering something in her ear. She stoically walked outside of the doorway and out of their vision.

Nero strode over to where Eren sat and placed his hand on Eren's cheek. The touch was so tender, so soft, it made Eren want to vomit. "Do you like to dine with friends, Eren? I surely do," he laughed. "I am troubled that Levi could not be here to celebrate with us…"

Again, reaching into his robe, he pulled a shiny blade from a scabbard and twiddled it adeptly between his fingers, which made the room's atmosphere grew even tenser. He hummed a tune silently to himself and waved the blade haphazardly in front of Eren. The man was like a sorcerer with endless amounts of items in his robes and it kind of intimidated him.

"I wish we could discuss trivial matters further," Nero said. "But there has been something that has been bothering me… for years. There has been a prophecy that has told of my downfall, and I want to know who predicted this. As they kept making predictions throughout the years, I want to know their identity. And my guards have ears around that tell me you children may know who this oracle is, this oracle that has evaded me for years. This oracle who has created an uprising in the slums, from a_ Greek_ practice that has no place in Rome."

Everyone in the room was silent. Eren, Mikasa, Krista, and Armin all stared at one another not exactly sure what to do. Nero's smile grew thin as he stared at them, feeling them privy to something dangerous.

"Children," he cautioned.

"But we do not know of the oracle—"Armin started though he was immediately cut off.

"DO NOT LIE TO ME!" Nero roared and spit flew from his mouth. His face turned a dark shade of red as he smashed the blade into the table in front of Eren. The objects on it vibrated from his brute force and everyone in the room flinched. Even Reiner and Poppaea stared wide eyed at the emperor.

"Nero, you are frightening the poor boy," Poppaea said with concern as she looked at Eren's shaken stature.

"Quiet you," Nero spat and Poppaea fell silent and appeared hurt. "This is no ordinary boy. There is something wrong with him. He possesses titan abilities, but he is not a titan." He glared at the children while he yanked the blade from the table and flicked it to Eren's throat. He pressed it hard to the boy's neck where beads of red blood began to form. "WELL? TELL ME!"

"Please, stop! Please, it is me! I am the oracle," Krista stated with teary eyes. She looked terrified but she continued and clutched her fists. "I am truly Historia Reiss, of the Reiss oracle lineage. I have predicted those prophecies that foretold your downfall. Now please, stop, you are hurting him."

Nero was just as confused as Eren for he had not known Krista's real name. "My Krista, oh dear Krista, after all these years, you betray me right in my home, under my own nose," he said in disbelief. "I have protected you for all of these years and you have done nothing for me, even after I was gracious to you after sleeping with my artist, Ymir!"

"You mock us, sir!" Historia sobbed. "We starve, we lie, and we cheat to survive, because you are mad! I am tired of running. I cannot risk this life for those that I love anymore."

"Seize that insolent pest, Reiner," Nero spat.

At that moment, when Nero was distractedly watching Reiner, Mikasa swiftly took a fork from the table and with precision, threw it to disarm Nero, and his blade went flying to the opposite end of the room. Historia frantically flew to the table and grabbed a plate, whisking around to smash it over Reiner's head where it fell to the ground just like Reiner's unconscious body. Eren quickly nodded at Armin who dashed to plunge Nero to the ground with all of his might, while Eren went to retrieve the blade. As much as he didn't want to, he placed himself behind Poppaea with the blade digging into her neck and faced Nero with what he hoped was determination.

"D-do not move," Eren said supposedly conveying bravery. Poppaea whimpered underneath him.

"ANNIE!" Nero yelled. Annie rapidly ran into the room breathless and holding her sword. She stood scanning the scene with bewilderment and anger.

"We want to trade with you, Nero," Eren stated. "We want our friend Corporal Levi, in return for your wife, Poppaea Sabina."

Nero looked at all three of them in the room with a gaze that could only be categorized as sheer amazement. Mikasa and Armin smiled, knowing they were right in their guesses. Then suddenly Nero began to laugh passionately, his cheeks turned pink and his curls bounced as he rolled on the floor.

"_Me_ barter with _you_?" he wheezed. "You are trading rocks for gold, kid."

Eren's heart sank as he looked at Nero in bewilderment. "Are-Are you not going to save her?"

"For the sake of my beloved Rome, I cannot. I love her, my precious city, more," Nero stated once he composed himself.

"N-N-Nero!" Poppaea sobbed, her eyes wide when she clawed at Eren's arms.

"Stop sniveling, you do not look as pretty when you do," Nero snapped at the crying woman. Eren's heart dropped as Poppaea's weeps were the only sound in the room that could be heard. Before he could even register Mikasa's and Armin's surprised faces, there was a sudden thump on the back of his head and everything went black.

...

Eren groaned as the pain in his head awoke him to the familiar dark corridors permeated with the stench of death belonging to those that were sacrificed for Rome's entertainment. He looked over to see Armin and Historia walking on either side of him as he realized he was being carried over the shoulder by a man bigger than him.

"Not to worry," Reiner grunted. "I also feel a nice headache thanks to this cute little feline here."

He pointed at Historia who growled in displeasure at him. They arrived at a cell and he opened it to let her in.

"Now be an angel, and I will convince Nero to let you go, then maybe you can become_ my_ slave—"

Eren had caught Armin's eye and pounded Reiner's back forcefully while Armin pushed him into a pole on the cell. The man fell down and Armin immediately took his keys as Eren spun Reiner to the ground. Armin then caught him by the shoulders and pushed him into the cell giving Eren time to grab Historia as Armin locked the gates to the cell. Reiner, dumbfounded, immediately grabbed the bars and attempted to yank them apart but to no avail.

"The emperor will hear of this!" he yelled.

Eren ignored Reiner as there were many questions going through his head. He wanted to ask the true Krista, Historia, about the dreams he had been having of her, but first, there were other matters to attend to.

"Where is Mikasa?" Eren asked ignoring the shouting in the background. He really hope Mikasa hadn't abandoned them.

"I told her to escape," Armin stated. "After you were knocked out, we did not have much of a choice so she fled from the window to go look for Erwin for back up."

"Annie followed right after her as soon as she left," Historia chirped in. "Hopefully, she can find Erwin before being tailed by Annie too long, or she could put others' lives in danger."

"Annie's going to catch her, and once she does, I will get my revenge on that rat," Reiner interjected, his voice choking up slightly. "And also on that arrogant, Levi, who killed my friend Bertholdt. Both of those bastards are trouble."

"Leave us alone," Historia glared at Reiner. Their banter faded to the background as Eren could feel the vibrations of the thousands of people gathering for a spectacle up above in the stadium. He could hear the rumbling of the citizens' voices and the vibrations beneath their feet. It must have already been in the afternoon for this amount of people to be out and witnessing what their emperor had to offer.

"Eren?" came a hoarse voice from down the narrow passage. Eren knew that voice, even if it was devoid of its usually snarky personality. He ran down to the cell where the voice came from and stopped in his tracks.

He took in a sharp breath after looking at Levi's horrid condition. The man's legs were bent at awkward angles where Reiner had fractured them, and his face was beaten black and blue, no doubt from his disobedience. Levi's shoulder was bleeding and disfigured, too. The man's wrists were chained to the walls in hopes that he wouldn't get away though Eren doubted that the corporal could barely move in the state that he was in.

Armin finally caught up with Historia and was also taken by surprise. "Good Gods, he needs a healer," he stated.

"I need water more than anything," Levi's raspy voice came out accompanied by a dry laugh. He tried to ease the situation slightly but Eren couldn't bring himself to laugh and the pit of his stomach felt heavy with worry.

"We could carry him," Historia suggested. "There are three of us, and he is small enough so we can carry him out."

Eren nodded as Armin handed him the keys and he started to unlock the gates, but the sound of voices and footsteps approaching stopped him. He could see the shadows edging closer and he knew he wouldn't have time to open the gates. Eren frantically looked around and saw a small niche only able to fit two people. He grabbed Historia and Armin and pushed them into the crevice.

"You two hide here," Eren whispered.

"But Eren—"Armin tried to interject.

"Please, Armin," Eren pleaded. "I am sick of my friends dying. You are smart and I know you can think of something. I will also try to figure something out."

Before he could hear any more of their retorts, Eren hastily spun out into the passage and skimmed for another place to hide.

"Oh, my little hare is awake," Nero beamed. Coming around the corner with his guards flanking either side of him. The man donned purple and gold robes and much to Eren's surprise, plates of armor he rarely saw the emperor in. At the man's heels, his biggest fan, Renatus, with eyes as bright as the sun.

Nero's smile quickly faltered as he looked in a cell to see Reiner trying to deflect attention away from himself.

"You fool, can you do anything right?" the man scoffed. He lazily waved a guard to let Reiner free. "I should have let you rot in there for eternity. Be grateful for I am a kind emperor."

"I am grateful, sir," Reiner bowed deeply to Nero who upturned his nose in disgust. "You are a merciful emperor."

"There were others were there not? Scour the tunnels, and do not let them escape me," Nero ordered with the wave of his hand to his guards. They past the rigid Eren who didn't dare flicker his eyes to the nook that held Armin and Historia, fearing that someone would be wise enough to follow his gaze.

"The titan man!" Renatus chirped, cheerfully skipping up to Eren and playfully punching the boy in the arm, though Eren was not in the mood to play around.

"Step away from him, son," Nero said with dark eyes as he went to the cell holding Levi.

Eren defiantly placed himself in front of the gates and Nero immediately pushed him down to the ground.

"Father!" Renatus gasped. Eren had a blade at his neck for the second time that day.

Levi's raspy voice came from the cell. "Stop," he demanded.

Renatus stared wide eye at the man in the cell as if he couldn't believe his vision. "Father, what happened to him? I thought he was the greatest soldier in Rome."

Nero smiled at his son. "Levi has been an impudent boy, just like Eren here," he said, mirthfully pressing the sword into Eren's neck. Eren groaned in pain. "Remember their faces, Renatus. These are the faces of losers and you must never side with them."

"Please, stop…" Levi pleaded. Nero tilted his head in amusement and began to laugh.

"You, _Levi_, are pleading?" He questioned in surprise. "Pray tell, who is this boy to _you_?"

Levi glared at him as the man pressed the blade deeper into Eren's neck, waiting for him to spill his supposed secret. A very thin stream of red began to flow from Eren's skin and he gasped in pain.

"Cease this madness!" Levi yelled as much as his voice would let him. "It is me you want, yes? Leave Eren alone, he has nothing to do with this."

Nero animatedly pretended to ponder his thoughts. "I guess you are correct, Corporal. I did tell you and your friends I have a surprise for you today," he then waved his free hand exuberantly over his clothes as if he were a model showing off the armor he put on for the occasion. "I will be fighting Rome's star, Corporal Levi, in a battle today."

Levi could feel his skin boiling hot with anger, "You finally want to fight me like the fat swine you are, once our calibers are of two different levels. You damned coward."

"Levi, do you think it is wise to taunt me?" Nero inquired at the blade pressing into Eren's collar. "When I have someone precious to you?"

With that statement, Levi grit his teeth and stayed silent. A guard took hold of Eren as he helplessly watched another guard let Emperor Nero enter into the gates of the cell.

"Certain precautions must be taken for me to win, Levi," Nero whispered so only Levi could hear. "Do not worry, Levi. I will not hurt Eren, as I still have many plans for the boy… but your final curtain call as the star of Rome is drawing to a close." The man took his sword up in the air ready to pierce Levi.

_"Eren, do not let Nero take anything away from you."_

Without thinking and merely upon will, which Eren's actions seemed to be controlled by nowadays, he broke away from the guard and his body just simply moved to place itself between Nero's blade and Levi. It was as if everything stopped. As if he couldn't hear Renatus' screams and Levi's angry shouts. As if he couldn't feel the pain when the blade plunged through his lower back. As if he couldn't feel anything because of the adrenaline running through him.

In the deafening silence, he followed Levi's horrified stare to see the sword coated with blood plunged through him and the tip had only cut Levi. He was glad for Levi would survive that small cut, but he wasn't so sure of his fate. Nero yanked his soiled blade from his back and Eren's legs gave out, hitting the ground which seemed colder than usual.

His vision blurred so he only could see a shocked Renatus staring at his father in disbelief.

"Father, he was my favorite!" he whined. Behind them he could make out Armin covering Historia's mouth and his own in fear that they would have made any sounds that would betray their cover.

"When will you learn, boy?" Nero seethed. He cursed and ran a hand through his hair. The emperor took his sword and brutally stabbed the guard that was supposed to be holding Eren as the others looked on and cringed. Nero then looked at Eren's state and saw the blood pooling from him at an alarming rate.

Eren tried to stand but he realized he couldn't feel his legs.

_He couldn't feel his legs._

The emperor could tell the boy was fading in and out of consciousness from the amount of blood lost. "He is useless now. Just like Levi."

"You bastard, you—" Levi growled. If he had any moisture in his mouth he would have spit in Nero's face.

"I could say the same for you," the emperor said waving his hand dismissively. He paced for a few quick moments before he finally turned to his guards as if he had a brilliant idea.

"Bring them both up," Nero smiled. "We will have a grand finale."

The guards unlocked Levi's sore wrists and dragged Eren's aching body upwards.

"Your father will return soon," Nero said while affectionately patting Renatus' head. The guards led the small boy to the imperial box in the audience.

"Oy, Eren…" Levi rasped while looking at the boy's blank face. Levi grit his teeth, not from pain, but more for the unexplained guilt he felt. Why couldn't the boy just leave him alone? Why couldn't Levi just leave him alone? There was something that tugged at his chest, and he felt helpless when the guards heaved him and Eren out into the annoyingly bright light of the arena. The crowd's roar did nothing for his headache and he slumped to the ground, unable to stand from the pain in his fractured knees. He dragged himself over to Eren and held the boy in his arms. His heart sank as he could still feel the blood slowly leaking out of him and his face was becoming paler with every second that crawled by.

"I am truly sorry for tangling you into this mess, Eren," his voice barely above a whisper. For all he could bet his worth in Rome, that was the sincerest apology he ever made to anyone. It fell on deaf ears as Eren stayed unresponsive, his face turned towards the bright sun that did not suit the moment. A spurt of blood flew from Eren's mouth and trickled down his chin and Levi's eyes widened a fraction in fear. The boy was dying and there was nothing he could do. "Come on, stay alive, kid. You stupid boy, there is still so much you need to learn."

"What happened to the warrior?" they screamed in protest. The people wanted a show and they jeered at Levi's unsightly appearance. Levi really could care less at the moment. It was the first time in years he had lost the will to fight for anything. Eren's cold body lay in the dirt further away from him as the guards carried him to the center of the arena.

The crowd roared even more as their beloved emperor came out to dance around the stage and red rose petals rained upon him. He pulled out an oddly colored blade that reflected in the sun.

"CHEER FOR YOUR VICTOR," he yelled in pleasure, absorbing every amount of noise the crowd had to offer. He turned towards Levi, who had a measly knife shoved in his hand.

Levi knew Eren's life force was draining, and he knew he looked foolish waving his blade on the ground as Nero came slashing at him. He parried the blade in Nero's hand and tried to stand on his legs but the pain wracked through him excruciatingly. His shoulder was already dislocated and his eyes were swollen, his face was a kaleidoscope of blacks and blues. He was severely handicapped and there was barely anything he could do.

When Levi tried to turn around the emperor grabbed Levi forcefully by his unhinged shoulder and forced the man to his feet. The crowd laughed and Levi winced in pain as Nero man-handled him. He brought Levi into a choke hold as the corporal tried to stab at his arm but he kicked the blade from his hand, even after receiving a gash. Nero faced the crowd and then to Eren lying on the ground opposite them.

"How does it feel to have the ones you love used against you?" Nero shouted, laughing at Eren as he plunged the odd colored blade into Levi's collar.

* * *

**Chapter 6 Notes:**

Probably in AD 67, Nero took a young boy about 16 years old and had him castrated because of his remarkable beauty resembling Poppaea Sabina's. He even paraded her around in the streets dressed as the woman he once loved whenever they went out.

Sub Rosa - where you would take a rose and set it outside of the room when you were discussing very secretive things you wanted to keep… well, secret. Common practice in Ancient Rome. Apparently even banquet halls that had painted murals of roses on the ceiling were meant that you were supposed to keep whatever secrets you told or heard in the room safe, even under the influence of alcohol (Sub Vino)

Honestly you guys, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR EVERY SINGLE REVIEW! I really _really _love them!


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